When Lewis Hamilton's torrid Brazilian Grand Prix weekend finally came to an end, fans of the seven-time world champion would have been forgiven for thinking things couldn't get much worse for the 39-year-old.
However, a cryptic radio message from Hamilton, where he implied it could be his 'last time to perform', sparked a frenzy of speculation that he may be set to leave Mercedes before the end of the season.
The 39-year-old suggested after the race in Sao Paulo that he could do with a break before his Ferrari move, having been complaining of back pain throughout the event due to an unstable Mercedes car.
GPFans contacted Mercedes on Hamilton's comments over team radio, and they informed us that there are no plans for Hamilton to be released from his Mercedes contract early. However, the more we thought about it, the more the idea made sense from a driver and team point of view.
Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025Kimi Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025
Once Hamilton had announced that he would be ditching his highly successful 12-season tenure at Mercedes in order to join Ferrari, the search started immediately for his replacement.
Max Verstappen was tipped with a shock move to Mercedes, while Sebastian Vettel was linked with a stunning return to the sport, but it was an 18-year-old who the team decided to put their faith in - young Italian sensation Kimi Antonelli.
The decision taken by Mercedes is a huge risk, not least because of Antonelli's faltering performances in F2, albeit in an underperforming car.
Lewis Hamilton trails championship leader Max Verstappen by an insurmountable distance
When Mercedes signed the 18-year-old, he had no experience in an official F1 session. That has now changed thanks to a couple of practice sessions, but the Italian has still not competed in a competitive session such as qualifying or a race.
If Hamilton were to step aside a few races early, it could give Antonelli some crucial F1 experience while the pressure is off, allowing the Italian to get used to a full race weekend and what it will be like going wheel-to-wheel against the very best drivers in the world.
Were it to go pear-shaped, no problem. Mercedes are comfortably fourth in the constructors' championship, with no threat from behind and no chance of challenging the top three teams and it's a similar situation for the seven-time champion in the drivers' championship.
Following three seasons of underperformance compared to the eight consecutive constructors' titles that Mercedes won between 2014-2021, you can forgive Hamilton's downbeat mood that he has adopted for much of 2024.
The season has at least provided the Brit with his 104th and 105th career victories, ending a win drought that had been in place since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, but he has often used the word 'worst' to describe his or Mercedes' season.
Hamilton's reason for heading to Ferrari is in a last-ditch attempt to claim an unprecedented eighth world championship title before his time in the sport comes to an end, and the signs of Ferrari improvement in recent weeks suggests that is a possibility.
Lewis Hamilton has often cut a downbeat figure in 2024
However, Hamilton will need to be refreshed and ready to go right from the off in 2025 if he's to beat Charles Leclerc and the other highly talented younger drivers on the grid.
Giving himself an extra bit of time off to rest and recuperate may just pave the way for a fresh and firing Hamilton once more.
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