Lewis Hamilton ‘will NOT commit to racing in F1 again until the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix inquiry is concluded’ after his controversial 2021 world-title loss to Max Verstappen saw him ‘lose trust’ in the FIA
- Lewis Hamilton lost the F1 world title to Max Verstappen in the 2021 season finale
- He was denied by a controversial safety-car call by race director Michael Masi
- The seven-time world champion has two years left on his current Mercedes deal
Lewis Hamilton’s future as a F1 driver remains in the balance with the seven-time champion non-committal until the findings of last year’s season-finale are concluded.
Hamilton was denied a record-breaking eighth world championship in the most contentious of decisions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as he lost out to bitter rival Max Verstappen.
The fallout of that defeat continues with the BBC reporting that Hamilton will not decide on his future until the FIA inquiry into the events at the Yas Marina Circuit are found.
Lewis Hamilton is reportedly unsure about his F1 future and is waiting to see the FIA inquiry
Hamilton controversially lost out to Max Verstappen in the F1 title decider in Abu Dhabi
Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the last lap after a controversial Abu Dhabi GP safety-car call
They add that the Mercedes driver ‘has lost trust in the FIA’ after race director Michael Masi didn’t follow precedent in applying the safety-car rules during the closing stages at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton has the full support of Mercedes with the FIA aware of their unhappiness and the job it has to regain Hamilton’s trust especially.
Speaking last week, new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed he reached out to Hamilton five days after the controversy in the Middle East.
‘I don’t think he’s 100 per cent ready to respond right now,’ Ben Sulayem said last week. ‘We don’t blame him. I understand his position.’
The FIA admitted in a statement last month that the events of Abu Dhabi were ‘tarnishing the image’ of F1 but also said that it had ‘generated significant misunderstanding and reactions from F1 teams, drivers and fans’.
The Brit has two years remaining on his current contract at Mercedes but it remains to be seen if he’ll be driving for the Silver Arrows again ahead of the first of two pre-season tests, starting on February 23, while the opening race is in Bahrain on March 18-20.
Race director Michael Masi didn’t apply the established safety-car rules at the Abu Dhabi GP