February 18, (THEWILL) – After breaking his silence during the launch of the Mercedes car for the 2019 season, Lewis Hamilton has committed to returning to Formula One in 2022.
Hamilton has not spoken publicly since the tumultuous conclusion to the 2021 season, when Max Verstappen snatched the world championship from the seven-time champion on the penultimate lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix under controversial circumstances.
The 37-year-old is understood to be awaiting the findings of the FIA inquiry into the UAE incidents. And, only one day after Michael Masi was removed as F1 Race Director, Hamilton has put an end to the rumours by confirming that he will race alongside new colleague George Russell this season.
“I never said I’d stop,” Hamilton said at the launch of the new Mercedes W13 car. “I love doing what I do, it’s a privilege. You feel like a family. There’s no feeling like it.”
Commenting on the time after losing to Verstappen, the Brit said: “It was a difficult time for me, I needed to take a step back, focusing on the present, with my family and creating great moments.”
“I decided then I’d attack again, working with [team principal] Toto [Wolff] and George [Russell].”
Verstappen’s final-lap overtaking denied Hamilton a record-breaking seventh world championship. And, it all came down to the Race Director’s decision.
As THEWILL reported, Masi had controversially decided that lapped vehicles between the Dutchman and race leader Hamilton would be allowed to unlap themselves, giving the Red Bull driver a clear run to attack Hamilton and clinch his first Drivers’ Championship.
Masi was replaced as race director by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich as part of a bigger overhaul following a highly criticised conclusion at the Yas Marina Circuit.
On Thursday, THEWILL reported that the pair will take turns in the position, with Herbie Blash, a seasoned deputy race director who has returned to the sport after a five-year hiatus, assisting them.
In 2022, Hamilton will be reunited with a new partner in compatriot Russell, who joins the team from Williams to replace Valtteri Bottas. “It does not change me, it is a positive, new blood, new energy,” Hamilton said of the end of the 2021 season and his new teammate.
“George has had an amazing career so far.
“It’s exciting to see him grow. I’ve had him sitting behind me on the desk.”
Russell, who has never won a Grand Prix but finished third in Belgium last year, is also eager to get started. He said of his chance to race with Hamilton: “It’s surreal. I was a young kid, Lewis was world champion, a superhero to me.
“Incredible people [like Hamilton], you don’t think they’re human. It’s a privilege to race alongside him, to learn and see how the best do it.”
The 2022 season kicks off on March 20 at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, with the first race scheduled for that Sunday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
