A 2016 title win would be Hamilton's greatest

When Lewis Hamilton squatted down beside his smoking Mercedes at Sepang last Sunday and placed his head in his hands, I imagine he was thinking 'why me again?'.

And who can blame him? He felt a sense of injustice. The Briton was just 15 laps away from winning the race and reclaiming the championship lead.

He had dominated the weekend up until that point and it felt as if things were turning around after three frustrating races, that had led to team-mate Nico Rosberg gaining the upper hand.

This has been a challenging year for Hamilton. His toughest yet. He has converted just three of his eight pole positions into wins. Rosberg has managed five from seven.

There have been engine failures in China, Russia and Malaysia. The associated penalties hurt him in Belgium.

The Mercedes clutch has also been a nightmare. Problems with it in Australia, Bahrain and Italy contributed to potential victories being lost.

And he gave a hint in Malaysia of how unhappy he was that some of his mechanics moved onto Rosberg's car at the start of the year: "The biggest effect it can have really on the driver is psychologically, but that is not something I want to go into."

So when Hamilton let out a cry of, "Ah, no, no, no," as smoke bellowed from the rear of his Mercedes, it really hurt.

The German manufacturer has produced 43 engines for the eight cars it powers and only Hamilton has suffered outright failures in qualifying and races so far this season.

Anyone who saw those statistics would understandably start to question if it was simply not meant to be or start to feel paranoid, regardless of whether they genuinely believed fate or dark forces were against them. In those scenarios, you want answers. And that is exactly what Hamilton asked for.

The reigning world champion has proven time and time and again that he is the faster of the two Mercedes driver and given a clear run he would likely beat Rosberg.

But this year has been anything but clear and with only five races to go, Hamilton faces the genuine prospect of losing the world title because of factors outside his control.

Losing because of personal mistakes is one thing, but suffering defeat because of something you could do nothing about is harder to take. And Hamilton knows he is running out of time.

There will be those who say he is capable of overhauling that deficit. And they would be right. He was just as far behind after Baku and it only took him three races to get in front from there.

Hamilton trailed by 43 points early in the season but six wins in seven races made that a 19-point lead by the summer break. In 2014, he won four of the first five GPs and then five successive races after his clash with Rosberg at Spa to wrestle back the advantage. And in 2015, he won 10 out of 16.

But on those occasions he knew there was a long way to go, and so naturally the pressure was eased. Now he only has five races left. Even if Hamilton starts a winning streak, if Rosberg finishes second each time it will take until the penultimate round for their positions to swap. That would set up a thrilling decider in Abu Dhabi, with Hamilton five points ahead.

The chronic misfortune has led to the build-up of this feeling that, as Hamilton suggested, "something or someone" is against him.

It's not the first time this season he has said he is on the back foot, and highlighted how he felt the odds have been against him. Social media was rife with claims of sabotage after he suffered successive engine failures in China and Russia. Mercedes chief Toto Wolff branded conspiracy theorists lunatics in response. Their claims re-emerged in Malaysia.

But such a notion is complete nonsense, accurately described by Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda as "ridiculous and stupid". Why would Mercedes do that? It would not make sense.

Hamilton will know that. His comments alluding to such talk just came in the heat of the moment. And as Hamilton explained later on, he was referring to his religious beliefs.

"A higher power," he said, when asked what exactly he had meant. "It feels right now as if the man above or a higher power is intervening a little bit.

"But I feel I have been blessed with so many opportunities. So I have to be grateful for those. While this does not feel great, I have to remain grateful."

Hamilton was downbeat when speaking to TV cameras, as is required in the sporting regulations, immediately after the incident.

"Something just doesn't feel right but there's nothing I can do about it," he said. "It's just odd. There's been 43 engines from Mercedes and only mine have gone."

Initially, his written media session on Sunday afternoon was cancelled only for the decision to be reversed following discussion with Hamilton. Hamilton was still aggrieved by what had happened but eloquently put into words how he was feeling and expanded on what he had said in the heat of the moment.

"You have to understand from my point," he said. "When you get out of the car, the feeling you have after leading and the car fails, it is pretty hard to say positive things.

"But Mercedes have built 43 engines or whatever it is and I have happened to have most, if not all, the failures. That is definitely a tough thing. But I have 100% confidence and faith in these guys. I love it here. Without them I would not have won these extra two championships.

"While the struggle is real right now and has been this year, I honestly feel it is constantly a test of will, of my spirit and who I am as a person to get back in and keep fighting it head on. It's not how you fall, it's how you get back up.

"We have to bear in mind what we have already built. And while this does not look good, there are still five races to go, I don't know if my two engines will make it, but I can only hope. And if I perform as I have this weekend then everything is all to play for."

Whether it was Hamilton's decision or the team's to reschedule that media session, the way he handled himself suggested that he has perhaps found a way to compartmentalise tough moments.

Sure, there are days when he is sulky and offers little, but in Malaysia, having had a discussion with his team and spoken to each of his mechanics he already looked like he was hungry for the next race and the battle to get his title bid back on track.

Rosberg's confidence is sky high. His recent run of form, and it has to be said fortune, having had first-corner contact at Sepang without suffering any damage, will be of a concern to Hamilton, particularly if he has any further mechanical failures.

But Hamilton's motivation should not be in doubt. Nor is his belief in his ability. In his words "everything is still to play for".

The reigning world champion says this is not his "lowest point". Defeat in the 2007 title race will surely be up there, particularly the moment when he beached his McLaren in the gravel at the pit entry in China after being left out too long on worn tyres.

But he'll know, as was the case the following year when he passed Timo Glock at the penultimate corner on the last lap of the final race in Brazil to secure his first title, that the most unlikely of comebacks can happen. Fortune can swing away, just as quickly as it swings towards you.

Even with the setbacks in 2016, if he conjures up the kind of results he has proved time and time again he is capable of, Hamilton can still win this year's title. And if he does, there can be no doubt this will be the greatest achievement of what is already a glittering career.