Lewis Hamilton's hopes of a fifth world championship were dealt a massive blow on Saturday, after a mechanical failure led to an early elimination in qualifying for the German Grand Prix.

A blistering lap from rival Sebastian Vettel saw him clinch pole in a last-gasp effort from Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Eight points adrift from the German, Hamilton reported a gear issues over the radio and was told, moments later, to stop his Mercedes to prevent any further damage.

Despite many, including former world champion Nico Rosberg, suggesting Hamilton running wide over the kerb at Turn 1 may have caused the issues, Hamilton was quick to suggest his troubles began before that incident.

The Briton's despair was obvious to see as he desperately tried to push his car back to the pits, attributing it to his will not to give up.

"I didn't really understand exactly what had happened so in my mind I was thinking, 'Get the car back to the track', but they asked me to turn the car off," Hamilton explained.

"I jumped out and wanted to push it back but it was so far to go. I saw there was leaking oil and I knew that I had to stop and let the marshals put the car away somewhere.

"I have the will to not want to give up. I just want to keep pushing."

Even Mercedes chief Toto Wolff initially put the hydraulic issue down to his driver's Turn 1 incident, however, Mercedes have since released a statement clarifying the cause of the mechanical failure.

“Lewis Hamilton had a hydraulic failure at Turn 1 as he ran the normal kerb through that corner,” Mercedes said.

“Then, with failed power steering, as a result of the hydraulic failure, his car jumped over the run-off.

“The car’s ‘jumping’ moments seen on TV were a consequence of the hydraulic failure, rather than the cause of it.”

The four-time Formula One world champion is set to start the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim from 14th on the grid, needing another impressive recovery drive to keep in touch with his main championship rival Vettel.