How much of a rut did Lewis Hamilton find himself in at times over the past two years in under-par Mercedes? One that was big enough that he began questioning his ability as an F1 driver.
That self-doubt - experienced at the start of this year as the gravity of Mercedes' 2023 situation hit him, and revealed in an extensive, end-of-season interview - seems ludicrous for a driver so successful to encounter at such a late stage of his illustrious career.
And it's quite likely that which led to Hamilton's father Anthony reaching out to Red Bull - a story that, despite being surrounded by plenty of who-said-what debate, is understood to include genuine interest from the Hamilton camp to at least explore the possibility of what would have been F1's ultimate bombshell move.
Our video looks at his doubts in more detail, what was going on behind the scenes in those Red Bull exchanges, and why Hamilton's concerns seem likely now to extend into the future.
