By Abhishek Takle
ABU DHABI, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton plans to throw his phone in the bin as he does not want to speak to anyone when he heads into Formula One’s winter break after a nightmare debut season with Ferrari.
The Briton joined the Italian team this season from Mercedes in a highly-anticipated move that paired the sport’s most successful driver with its most successful team.
Expectations from the partnership were high, especially after Ferrari finished second in the constructors’ standings last year, fuelling hopes that Hamilton could challenge for an unprecedented eighth title.
But the optimism soured and Hamilton has endured one of his worst seasons ever, with the Briton failing to stand on the podium all year for the first time in his career.
He ended the year with three consecutive first phase qualifying exits and has cut an increasingly frustrated figure.
On Saturday, he said he felt an “unbearable amount of anger and rage” after qualifying 16th for the Abu Dhabi finale.
“At the moment I’m only looking forward to the break, just to disconnecting, not speaking to anyone,” said the 40-year-old despite recovering to an eighth-place finish in Sunday’s season-ending race.
“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’ve generally always had it around. But this time, it’s going in the freaking bin.”
Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished fifth overall but raced to seven podiums, has struck an equally frustrated tone at Ferrari’s winless season.
The Monegasque said next season, with radical rule changes offering the chance of a reset, was Ferrari’s “now or never” moment.
The team, who enjoyed years of dominance with German great Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s, last won a drivers’ championship with Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
They ended the season fourth in the overall standings.
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur played down his drivers’ comments.
“It doesn’t matter if you are first or 10th, I think the debrief today at Alpine, at Williams, at Red Bull, or with us, it’s the same,” said the Frenchman. “We are just trying to do a better job”.
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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