As Lewis Hamilton reflected on what had been arguably his worst performance in Ferrari red to date at the Hungarian Grand Prix, there was one comment that may have been missed in amongst his incredibly downbeat interviews.
"When you have a feeling you have a feeling, and there’s a lot going on in the background that’s not great."
What did the seven-time champion mean by this, are Ferrari contemplating sacking the Brit after some dismal performances of late?
Those comments came 24 hours after Hamilton described himself as 'useless' after a qualifying session in which he could only claim 12th, and he also suggested that Ferrari should consider axing him from their team.
Now, I'm sorry Lewis but you can't honestly have lost your confidence that quickly! You're a seven-time world champion - the most successful driver in the history of the sport - yet not even you are fighting your own corner after just 14 races of misery at Ferrari.
Let's not forget, it's only a little more than 12 months ago that Hamilton claimed two race wins in three races during a hot streak with Mercedes, and just over seven months ago that he recovered from a 16th-place qualifying performance to finish fourth in his last race with his old team at Abu Dhabi.
Ferrari have struggled massively in 2025, and neither Hamilton nor team-mate Charles Leclerc have come close to claiming a grand prix victory as of yet.
Lewis Hamilton has had a disastrous start to life at Ferrari
Hamilton's dismal weekend in Hungary was made even more torrid by the fact that Leclerc managed to put his SF-25 on pole and then finish fourth in the race, while Hamilton faced a point-less finish after a Q2 exit in qualifying.
On top of this, Hamilton is yet to pick up a grand prix podium with his new team while Leclerc has scored five in 2025, and the Brit is 42 points behind Leclerc after 14 races.
But come on Lewis, your magic hasn't disappeared that quickly, and you can still offer a lot to Ferrari and the sport between now and the end of your contract at the end of the 2026 season.
Why would Hamilton stick around?
Of course, with how poor his 2025 season has been, Hamilton might want to walk away from the sport a year earlier than expected.
There's no doubt that the current generation of F1 cars have not suited Hamilton one bit. Since the beginning of the ground effect era in 2022, he has won just two races.
But regulations are set to see a huge overhaul ahead of 2026. Car designs and power units will be radically altered which could mean two things for Hamilton. Firstly that he will be driving completely different cars that may be better suited to his talents, and secondly that Ferrari may be able to get their act together and produce a championship-challenging car.
Is there a glimpse of hope for Lewis Hamilton in 2026?
The wholesale regulation changes could see a mix up in the competitive order in F1, meaning McLaren's current dominance may just last for this season.
While Hamilton would need to up his performance levels in order to be a match for team-mate Leclerc, if Ferrari do produce a car capable of championship success, then Hamilton will at the very least be able to add to his record tally of 105 grands prix victories.
Time will tell on that front, but one thing is for sure, Ferrari are looking for stability. That can be seen by the extension of team principal Fred Vasseur's contract despite Ferrari's clear underperformance in 2025.
While Hamilton may have hinted at a level of unhappiness in his performances behind the scenes, surely the team will not be brave enough to axe the most successful driver in the sport's history over a year before his official contract end?