Opening up over the radio with his race engineer, the seven-time world champion showed clear frustration over the five-second penalty he had been handed.

“These guys are a joke. A complete joke,” he said, pointing out that he had been forced to stay out on track until serving the penalty, only then retiring the car due to floor damage and loss of downforce.

He finally added: “The car moved over on me so I clipped my wing”

The Brit eventually chose to retire voluntarily on lap 37, recognising that the loss of performance no longer justified staying out, and at least managing to save a few kilometres on the power unit.

The seven-time world champion’s weekend, at one of his favourite circuits and where he claimed his first-ever title, proved unlucky once again.

The Brit could manage no better than seventh in the sprint race, then was knocked out in Q2 in qualifying, forcing him to start from the back for the main event. A double collision at the start — first with Carlos Sainz, then with Colapinto down the straight — added the final blow to an otherwise forgettable weekend, yet another low point in what has been a challenging season.

Still, despite another disappointing outing, Hamilton shows no sign of throwing in the towel.