The last-lap heartbreak Sir Lewis Hamilton suffered in Abu Dhabi last month has prompted rumours that the Brit is considering retiring from Formula 1.
With the exception of the post-race interviews, the seven-time world champion hasn’t spoken to the media since the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, nor has he been active on social media.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said that the Briton is still coming to terms with what happened in the season finale, and the Austrian has made no guarantees that Hamilton will race in Formula 1 in 2022.
Meanwhile, newly elected FIA president President Mohammed ben Sulayem has said he believes Hamilton will return to the sport with Mercedes in 2022, though he said he reckons the Mercedes driver is still “not 100 percent.”
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“I sent him messages, yes. I think he is not 100 percent ready yet and I understand his position, but there are also rules that must be accepted by all drivers,” said ben Sulayem.
“For me there is no particular team or driver, out of respect for the integrity of the FIA.
“But I cannot judge until I have all the data and the first thing on my agenda is to thoroughly analyse what happened in Abu Dhabi.
“In the end we are all human and the stress and pressure were there, so I think it will all work out.
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“You have to look more to the future than to the past.”
Asked if he thinks Hamilton will walk away from Formula 1, ben Sulayem replied: “No, I don’t think so.”
Do you think Sir Lewis Hamilton should retire as a result of the highly controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
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