"The last time"

Mystery surrounding cryptic Hamilton message

Was the Brazil GP Lewis Hamilton's last race for Mercedes?(Bild: AFP/APA/Miguel Schincariol)

"If that was the last time I competed, it's a shame it wasn't fabulous." Lewis Hamilton's radio message to Mercedes in Brazil caused great astonishment in the Brit's fan camp. Was the race in Sao Paulo his last for the Silver Arrows?

On the final lap after what Hamilton saw as a botched race, the tenth-placed driver said that he regretted not being able to show what he was capable of - especially as this could have been the last time he had the chance to do so. 

Will Antonelli take over?
Words that are causing quite a stir among the seven-time world champion's fans. Will the 39-year-old not be returning to the cockpit of his W15 in Las Vegas? Is the racing team planning to give Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will be racing alongside George Russell next season, the honor of driving in place of the former champion, who is leaving for Ferrari?

"Not his style"
Johnny Herbert, a three-time GP winner in Formula 1, cannot imagine that the Brazilian GP will actually be Hamilton's last race for Mercedes. "That wouldn't be Lewis' style. No racer simply stomps off just because things aren't going so well. Especially not Lewis. He has emphasized several times that he will keep at it until the end at Mercedes and I believe him," says the 60-year-old former driver.

"Speedweek.com" rather suspects that the record world champion wanted to say goodbye to some employees who would have left the team after the weekend with his message. We will probably not get a definitive answer for another two weeks, when the Formula 1 circus stops off in the city of sin.