Penalties, puncture leave Hamilton struggling again as Mercedes exit nears

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — It's not often Lewis Hamilton is tempted to give up in Formula 1.

He nearly did just that Sunday, discussing with his Mercedes team over the radio whether it would be best to retire the car as his Qatar Grand Prix went from bad to worse.

Hamilton eventually decided to carry on the race but finished a lowly 12th. Two penalties, a puncture and a “messed up” car combined in another miserable race as his record-breaking partnership with Mercedes nears a frustrating end.

He'll have his last race with Mercedes in Abu Dhabi next weekend before joining Ferrari.

“I don’t think we’re going to end up on a high," Hamilton said Sunday about that race. “What’s important is how we turn up. We give it our best shot, and I don’t anticipate a particularly much better weekend than we’ve had in the past weekends, but I'll try."

Hamilton has placed behind his teammate George Russell in the last five races, including sprints. After an encouraging second place in Las Vegas last week, when Russell won, almost everything that could go wrong did Sunday.

Hamilton jumped the start and got a penalty. He had setup issues with the Mercedes that made it hard to turn. “The car is messed up, mate,” he told the team over the radio.

Hamilton then had a puncture that caused a shower of sparks from the Mercedes' floor, and another penalty, this time for speeding in the pit lane.

After an emotional victory at his home British Grand Prix in July ended a 945-day wait for a win, Hamilton took another win at the Belgian Grand Prix when his teammate George Russell finished first but was disqualified. Since then, though, Hamilton has struggled to keep pace with Russell.

Qualifying has been Hamilton’s biggest problem, forcing him to try to make up places on race day.

“When you’re always back where I am (on the grid), it makes it very hard, almost impossible, to be competing for wins,” he said Friday.

The seven-time champion hasn't offered a clear explanation for the recent results and said he was “definitely not fast any more” on Friday in Qatar after repeated struggles in qualifying.

One person who doesn't share those concerns is Hamilton's future boss. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur pointed to Hamilton's encouraging drive in Las Vegas as a sign that the 39-year-old star hasn't lost his edge.

"Have a look at the 50 laps that he did in Vegas starting from P10 (on the grid) and finishing (on) the gearbox of (race winner) Russell," Vasseur said. "I’m not worried at all."

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