Despite his best efforts, a lowly tenth-place finish was as good as it got for Lewis Hamilton in Sunday's São Paulo Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver wrestling once again with an uncooperative car.
Hamilton's frustration was palpable at the end of his 69-lap order around Interlagos as he struggled to understand the vicissitudes of a car he ultimately described as “undriveable” and “a plank of wood”.
A championship point at the end of the day was no consolation for the seven-time world champion whose Brazilian weekend was riddled with setbacks, starting with his elimination in SQ2 on Saturday followed by a disappointing run to P11 in the Sprint event.
On Sunday, Hamilton's shock exit from Q1 in the early morning's qualifying session left him feeling increasingly perplexed, especially as his teammate George Russell has managed to secure a spot on the front row of the Grand Prix's grid.
“We were just slow. The car was really, really tough,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 , after Sunday's race.
“But I do really want to say a big thank you to the guys in the garage. They turned up super early this morning and still did a great job throughout the weekend.
“I know everyone back in the factory will be feeling the pain. The team could have won, too, today. “At least one car was behaving.”
The W15's handling issues were particularly severe on Interlagos' bumpy circuit. Hamilton liked the experience to drive without any suspension, so stiff was his ride.
“It's like a plank of wood. There's no suspension. It's just bouncing on the tires, everywhere. “Can't get on the power anywhere,” he explained.
“The worst ride definitely that we've ever had, particularly through corners. Just so stiff. Hopefully we won't have any more bumpy tracks.
“I think the last three aren't so bouncy, but yeah, I could happily go take a holiday.”
As the season winds down, Hamilton has now fallen behind Russell in the drivers' standings, slipping to seventh place by two points with only three races and a sprint remaining.
The Briton's triumphant summer streak – with two wins in three races, at Silverstone and at Spa – now felt like a distant, fading memory.
“It's devastating to have these bad races in the second half of the season,” he later told the media, voicing both his disappointment and determination.
"But all I can say is we're trying. It's definitely not acceptable, it's definitely not good enough. And we have to take accountability, I have to take accountability.
"But I am doing the best with what I've got. The car has been the worst this weekend. I don't know what it is, we're going to have to find out what it is.”
Looking ahead, the future Ferrari driver expressed a desire to finish his final campaign with Mercedes on a positive note and hold on to the hope of improved performance.
"I just want to keep the car out of the wall and try to score points if I can for the team," he said.
"If I can finish well and they give me a car that doesn't bounce off the track in the next few races, then hopefully we get a better result.
"Looking forward to Christmas."
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