Abu Dhabi GP The Last Chance Hamilton Avoids The Seasons Without Victory

Lewis Hamilton (Twitter @lewishamilton)

JAKARTA - Lewis Hamilton has only one chance to avoid a winless appearance in one season as Formula 1 prepares for the final race in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

The Mercedes driver had an unfortunate experience at the Yas Marina Circuit last year as he missed his eighth world title record following controversial safety car procedures as he led the race with several laps remaining.

The mismatched decision from the race officials was bad luck for Hamilton when opportunistic Max Verstappen stole the opportunity to win the race and win his first world title, despite Mercedes holding the constructor title for the eighth time.

As a five-time winner at Yas Marina, where Verstappen won the last two races there, Hamilton still faces big challenges and doesn't want to get special treatment from his team.

"I'm not here to think about the past, not the slightest. I'm focused," Hamilton said.

"I'm not sure if our car will work well here on the weekend, but if there is a chance, we will achieve it."

Mercedes had a good chance after ending their fast on the top podium of the season in Brazil when George Russell tasted his first success as Grand Prix winner.

Hamilton also finished second in a row in his last three races as Mercedes began to show performance to compete at the top after stumbling at the start of the season due to uncompetitive and bouncing cars due to the "porpiising" effect on the track.

"For me, our success in Brazil, finishing 1-2 last Sunday, is thanks to the enormous effort of our team in Great Britain," Hamilton said.

"They are very determined this year."

There is no big bet on Sunday's race, but for Hamilton it will be his last chance to keep his record of winning every season.

The rider, who will be 38 years even in January next year, holds a record 103 wins in his career, although statistics is not a priority for him.

Hamilton needed six races in his 2007 debut before becoming a winner and he has won at least one race each season since then.

"I didn't think about that record, but of course I tried to win that victory this year," Hamilton said in September.

"The record is not important to me, because I don't think much about the record in general."

While Hamilton and Russell were praised like heroes in his team, Verstappen, meanwhile, faced a mental war after refusing to comply with the team's orders to help Sergio Perez at Interlagos last Sunday.

Red Bull gave Perez directions to give Verstappen way on condition that his position would be returned if the Dutchman was unable to overtake Alpine's Fernando Alonso for finishing fifth.

Meanwhile, Perez, who needed as many points as possible to beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in second place in the standings as Verstappen has locked the world title for the second time. Red Bull has never finished 1-2 in the drivers' standings.

Verstappen, who also received a penalty for causing a collision with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, was instructed by Red Bull's enginer Gianpiero Lambiase to let Perez pass to finish higher but ignore the directives and finish the race ahead of the Mexican who finished P7.

Verstappen's actions sparked various reactions and criticisms on social media.

"It shows who he really is," said Perez, who Verstappen once praised for helping him win a number of races and become world champion.

After the Sao Paulo GP, Perez and Leclerc drew 290 points each, but the Ferrari rider won 3-2 over the number of race wins. Leclerc was also not assisted by Ferrari to finish in front of Carlos Sainz who was on the podium that day with the Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

After an internal meeting, Red Bull said the two riders had agreed and Verstappen would help Perez this weekend.

Meanwhile, Verstappen is eyeing opportunities to increase the winning record to 15 times a season.

In the closing race later, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will also say goodbye to Alpine, who hopes to finish fourth in the constructors' standings, before moving to Aston Martin.

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel will also bid farewell not only to Aston Martin but also F1 on the circuit where he won his first world title in 2010.