Lewis Hamilton has sparked concerns by posting a worrying message online about "giving up".
The five times Formula One World Champion, shared the gloom-laden post on Instagram today about the world being "such a mess".
He suggested he would be taking a break from social media to get himself back on track.
Hamilton, 34, wrote: "Honestly, I feel like giving up on everything.
"Shut down completely. Why bother when the world is such a mess and people don't seem to care.
"I'm going to take a moment away to gather my thoughts.
"Thank you to those of you who do give a damn about the world."
Hamilton gave no context for the message, but it comes days after he celebrated his Mercedes-AMG team winning the Formula One World Championship for the sixth year.
He later admitted the victory was a painful one as it didn't feel the same after the death of his friend, F1 legend Nikki Lauder.
In a post on Instagram, Hamilton wrote: "We are 6 times World Champions, wow it’s still not sunk in. You can’t imagine how hard it’s been for us all, we lost our dear friend Niki this year, it’s been a tough battle but this one is definitely for him.
"I am so privileged to be apart of this team, to be able to contribute and share this with them. Some people will never understand how it feels to win and lose as we do so often, the highs and lows [sic].’
"But we get through it together, we win and we lose together. Im not perfect, im not always going to say or do the right things but as you can see here, I am for the team 1000%.
"Well done guys and everyone back at the factory. Thank you for all you do [sic]."
Hamilton remains on course to win his sixth world title, which would put him just one away from Michael Schumacher's record of seven.
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There are four races left until the end of the season, with the Mexican Grand Prix next on October 27.
