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.

Lewis Hamilton not expecting to leave Mercedes on a high after struggle in Qatar - Hamilton endured a torrid weekend in his penultimate race for the Silver Arrows.

Max Verstappen followed up securing his fourth world championship by winning a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffered another miserable evening in his penultimate Mercedes appearance. Seven-time world champion Hamilton was penalised twice by the stewards and said his car was “broken” as he finished down in 12th spot in a race which saw Verstappen claim a dominant win.