F1 CONFIDENTIAL: Why Lewis Hamilton nonetheless strikes worry into his opponents and the way he can rediscover his finest at Ferrari subsequent 12 months

It was neither likely, nor appropriate, that Lewis Hamilton should have delivered on his instant reaction to driving like a relic of himself on Sao Paulo’s rain-laced track a haunting fortnight ago.

An all-time great, he intimated over the radio after his drubbing – finishing 10th, but exposed brutally by rookies – that he might quit, thus sitting out the last three races of his Mercedes career.

It was a relief to hear him say in Las Vegas, as reported on Friday’s back page, that he is not ready to cash in his chips. He fights on. As befits a sporting warrior.

Nobody watching him wrestle with the conditions in Brazil could have been other than perplexed, for he was one of the finest wet-race drivers of recent memory serving up a performance so curiously far below his best. Hamilton appeared equally mystified.

In that radio exchange, he left his future hanging in the damp air. He phrased it open-endedly. ‘If this is the last time I get to perform, it was a shame it wasn’t great but I am grateful,’ he said.

Ahead of this weekend’s night race in Vegas, he has some of his sparkle back after admitting, yes, he did briefly contemplate taking a break. America acts like balm on him and we often find the LA-based 39-year-old in his most relaxed frame of mind here. ‘The best I have felt for a while,’ he declared.

One understands why thoughts of quitting may have floated into his head. He is off to Ferrari next year and his Mercedes dog days are debilitating.

Some of his greatest admirers – including family and friends – believe that having scorned Mercedes by casting his future away to the Italians, he is being deliberately held back.

Certainly, focus has turned to George Russell. The car and the future is shaped around this Englishman, aged 26, rather than the man who won six world drivers’ titles in Silver Arrows. Lewis is not as loved where he is as he was.

But more than that? Would Mercedes harm themselves by hampering Lewis? They scoff at the notion.

Sure, some downtime may not have gone amiss. Lewis could then have rebooted for his Ferrari swansong. But to have given up, however briefly, would have been to run away, to betray all the competitive zeal that carried him from a Stevenage council estate into company among the highest-achieving British sportspeople.

Those around him, I am told, are trying to keep his spirits up during this slump. They have plenty of indications of his resilience to act as templates now. They could remind him of how, in 2007, he fearlessly took on reigning world champion Fernando Alonso and, shrugging off the Spygate scandal, beat the Spaniard as a debutant.

Of how he was bold enough to move from McLaren to Mercedes, the team that launched him. How he shrugged off criticism of his extravagant travelling to produce one of the finest ever qualifying laps in Singapore six years ago.

Of how he fought back in Brazil in 2021 to relight his world championship fight with Max Verstappen. He was twice penalised, for taking on a replacement engine and a further DRS infringement. He overtook half the field to win by 10.4sec and cut his Dutch rival’s lead to 14 points.

‘A special moment,’ declared Hamilton afterwards. And that from a serial defier of odds. The list of his hard-won battles goes on, even if the strength of his Mercedes was often most helpful in the clocking up of unparalleled records.

Whatever his Ferrari years may bring – facing a final test that will require him to ransack past glories – at least declaring he is carrying on in Silver places him among the indefatigable champions of the past.

James Allison, technical chief at Mercedes, defines one of Hamilton’s primary strands of brilliance as a weapons-grade desire to win. ‘He is unbelievably motivated,’ Allison told me in astonishment and admiration. ‘It is burned into him.’

The fact Mercedes have been below par for the past three seasons has largely denied Hamilton the chance he craved, maybe needed, to produce his best.

But his time there is nearly over. Just a few more deep breaths, Lewis.

Nevada in November

At a work lunch at the Mon Ami Gabi brasserie the other day, the sun shone brightly along the Strip. It was a warm afternoon as the fountains at Bellagio launched into the sky.

But by the time we were leaving the track at midnight, it was bitterly cold. It said ‘0C, freezing’ on my laptop, though it was probably a couple of degrees warmer.

This is Nevada in November. The cool conditions prompt contingencies at tyre suppliers Pirelli, who are deploying their three softest compounds for maximum grip in the case of the mercury dipping. The long straight of the Strip further cools the rubber.

Warming up new tyres without overworking them, and avoiding locking up in big braking zones, will be a key demand. And then Max Verstappen wins.

Preparing for Vegas

Sin City never sleeps. Famously, no clocks hang on the walls. The casino doors never close.

The F1 schedule buys into the up-all-night culture. Nowhere near as brutal as last year’s inaugural timings, yet qualifying still finishes at 11pm local time and the race at approaching midnight.

The casino owners, who run the place, demand the late-night itinerary, as per boxing.

How to prepare? Lando Norris told me he is acclimatising by sleeping in to 2pm and taking a well-monitored programme of melatonin sleeping pills to help beat his circadian rhythms.

I suppose it’s more advanced than a glass of red.

Happy birthday to Brawn

Former Ferrari boffin Ross Brawn recently celebrated his 70th birthday, which falls on Saturday, at London’s One Marylebone with friends and family.

It was a lavish affair, enjoyed by all, I am told. Even Elvis performed. Shades of Vegas there.

The stars are in town

Let’s get ready to rumble! Legendary announcers Michael and brother Bruce Buffer will introduce the drivers to the grid here this weekend. A major pre-race musical extravaganza is also planned.

There is no show without Punch. Or, in sport in 2024, without Snoop Dogg. Ever present at the Paris Olympics, the American rapper is expected among the high-steppers.

Brad Pitt, filming the imaginatively named F1 movie is also in town. As is Gordon Ramsay, a franchise of his restaurant being in the paddock.

Trump to stay away 

Perhaps when you are 47th US President-elect you can click your fingers and magic your way to Vegas on the spur of the moment, but I am told that as it stands Donald Trump will defy forecasts for the second time in a month – by staying away.

History repeating itself 

It’s not the first time a British driver has needed to win in Las Vegas to remain in world championship contention.

In the 1982 decider at the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, John Watson would have taken the title had finished first and Keke Rosberg seventh or lower. The Northern Irishman finished second and Rosberg fifth. All over.

Norris now needs to win here, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to stand any chance of prevailing. It’s inconceivable.

New race director

A debut for new race director Rui Marquez. 

The sudden departure of Neils Wittich – apparently sacked after a row with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – leaves Marquez little time to adjust to the demands of overseeing the potentially demanding street circuit.

The drivers have voiced opinions that Ben Sulayem is generally too high-handed. As the president, whose mandate from his worldwide electorate is sizeable, has been known to say: ‘I couldn’t care less.’