Lewis Hamilton has dismissed the suggestion he considered quitting Formula One after losing the title on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton said his near-two month silence following that controversial event was simply him needing to "take a step back" and process what had happened.
Hamilton, who was on the brink of an unmatched eighth F1 championship, was overtaken by Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi on the last lap in what turned out to be a controversial race restart.
On Thursday this week the FIA removed F1 race director Michael Masi after a long investigation into how his decisions impacted those final laps.