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Hamilton lost the championship to Red Bull's Max Verstappen after FIA race director Michael Masi did not apply the rules correctly in a late safety-car period.

Insiders say Hamilton has lost trust in the governing body as a result.

Mercedes declined to comment on the situation surrounding Hamilton's future when approached by BBC Sport.

The team and Hamilton are said to be aligned on the issue and waiting to see what action the FIA takes to address the matters raised by the Abu Dhabi race.

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Lewis Hamilton may never get over the pain of being 'robbed' of a record eighth Formula One title, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said on Thursday in comments that raised doubts about the driver's future in the sport.

The Austrian, speaking to reporters for the first time since Sunday's race in Abu Dhabi and after Mercedes dropped plans to appeal, said he and Hamilton would not be attending the FIA's gala awards in Paris that evening.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will be handed his trophy at the ceremony and the top three drivers are obliged to attend the prizegiving under article 6.6 of the Formula One sporting regulations.

Hamilton lost out to Verstappen after the Dutch driver overtook him on the last lap at Yas Marina, benefiting from a sudden change to the safety car procedure that allowed racing to resume.

"It's going to take a long time for us to digest what has happened on Sunday. I don't think we will ever come over it, that's not possible," said Wolff.

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Lewis Hamilton has called on his Mercedes troops to dig deeper than ever before and keep alive his dream of winning a record-breaking eighth world crown.

Hamilton slipped from 12 to 19 points behind Max Verstappen following the Red Bull driver's comprehensive victory in Mexico on Sunday.

With just four rounds left and 107 points available, time is running out for Hamilton to prevent Verstappen from clinching a maiden title.

However, Hamilton, who finished 16.5 seconds behind his Red Bull rival, despite his setback in Mexico City, said: "I left it all out there and sometimes that is not enough.

"We pick ourselves up, dig deeper than we have before and keep on fighting."

Max Verstappen led from start to finish as the Dutchman ended his 2020 campaign on a high, with Formula 1 bringing down the curtain on the season in Abu Dhabi.

Lewis Hamilton returned for Mercedes having missed the Sakhir Grand Prix through Covid-19, but could only finish third behind teammate Valtteri Bottas who was unable to apply any real pressure on Verstappen.

After his sensational performance at the Sakhir Grand Prix as Hamilton’s stand-in for Mercedes, George Russell returned to his usual Williams seat and could only muster a 15th place finish, bringing the 22-year-old back down to earth.