At the end of his worst ever season in F1, seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton is to go off grid for a while.

In the aftermath of a season finale in which he finished eighth, courtesy of late penalties for Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman, the Ferrari driver was asked if he is looking forward to next season and the rules overhaul.

"At the moment I'm only looking forward to the break," he dryly replied.

"Just to disconnecting, not speaking to anyone," he subsequently added. "No one will be able to get in touch with me this winter, I won't have my phone with me and I'm looking forward to that. Completely unplug from the matrix.

"I can't wait to get away from all this," he said. "Every week, photo shoots and all that kind of stuff. That's the thing I look forward to one day, not having to do it all."

Last season, at Mercedes, he won two races, while in 2022 and 2023 he never once stood atop the podium, this year his only visit was the Sprint win in China.

To say his first season at Ferrari has been disappointing would be a massive understatement, and while teammate Charles Leclerc was equally unhappy with the team's contender he did manage seven podiums and one pole position.

At a time even the British media appears to be turning against him, when asked what keeps him going, Hamilton replied: "The love of what you do, the love of racing. The support of people around me, my fans, and keeping alive a dream. And I still have a dream."

Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Marina here.