Qualifying woes

Qualifying problems persisted for Hamilton.

In July, he qualified 16th at the Belgian GP after his best lap time was scrapped for going off track. The day before, he was 18th in qualifying for the sprint race following a spin.

Earlier that same week, however, Hamilton had spoken with determination and authority. He described holding "crunch time "talks with Ferrari's leaders to demand improvements.

"I've sat with John (Elkann, Ferrari's president), Benedetto (Vigna, CEO) and Fred (Frederic Vasseur, team principal) in several meetings," Hamilton said at Spa-Francorchamps.

Hamilton even complied a "full document for the team" during the midseason break, detailing "structural adjustments that we need to make" and "issues that I have with this car".

All of this input made little difference on the track.

Hamilton finished seventh in Spa, placed 12th in Hungary and did not finish the following race in the Netherlands.

There was another DNF in Brazil last month, followed by finishes of eighth, 12th and eighth to end the season on a low.

Hamilton called the weekend in Sao Paulo a "nightmare" while Leclerc was "not happy" with his "very slow" car.

Leclerc did not win a race this season either, but the Monegasque driver beat Hamilton 7-0 in podiums and comfortably in the standings.

Last in Vegas

Following the Brazilian GP a concerned Elkann told both his drivers to "focus on driving and talk less".

Hamilton recorded his worst-ever qualifying performance at the following GP — last in Las Vegas.

"I feel terrible. Terrible," Hamilton said.

After the Abu Dhabi GP, where fellow Briton Lando Norris clinched his first F1 title, Hamilton vowed to fight on.

"It's been a tough season, but the kindness and hard work of everyone at Ferrari means a lot to me," Hamilton said. "I stand with the team and know we have better times ahead."