LEWIS HAMILTON’S Formula 1 season ended in the worst possible way after he was forced to retire at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday.
While Max Verstappen tasted victory in the final race of the year, the seven-time world champion suffered more misery after he pulled out.
It means that Hamilton failed to win a single race in a season for the first time in 16 years on the F1 circuit.
The 37-year-old’s terrible time also saw him end in sixth-place for the championship, the lowest of his career.
Hamilton had finished in the top two in each of the last eight years and was on course to come fifth having held a six-point lead over Carlos Sainz ahead of the race.
But his DNF in the Middle East saw him slip down one place in the Drivers’ Championship.
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He racked up just 240 points, a whopping 214 fewer than Verstappen.
George Russell, who came fifth in Abu Dhabi, secured fourth place overall, meaning Hamilton finished below his teammate for just the third time in his career.
The other two occasions were in 2009 when Jenson Button won the world title and Nico Roseberg seven years later.
Despite his struggles, Hamilton is hopeful of challenging for world titles in the future.
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He said: “These next couple of weeks, we’ll be back at the factory, we’ll get to see everybody, and while we’re not celebrating a world championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.”
“I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strengths to fight for many more championships moving forward.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
