Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that Lewis Hamilton may quit Formula 1 racing after getting disappointed in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale.
Hamilton lost the race that would see him claim a record breaking eighth championship title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after a controversial last lap Safety Car. The directives given by Formula 1 Race Director Michael Masi allowed the the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to overtake the Safety Car despite initially saying it would not be allowed.
The Safety Car cut Hamilton’s 10 second lead and Verstappen got the upper hand winning the race. This got Mercedes disappointed by the absolute turn of events with Wolff saying the race controversy got him and Hamilton ‘disillusioned’ with Formula 1 as a sport.
“It is going to take a long time to digest what has happened on Sunday….. I don’t think we will ever get over it, that’s not possible,” Wolff told reporters.
“Lewis and I are disillusioned at the moment. We’re not disillusioned with the sport. We love the sport with every bone in our body. And we love it because the stopwatch never lies.”
“But if we break that fundamental principle of spotting fairness and authenticity of the sport, then suddenly the stopwatch doesn’t become relevant anymore. Because we are exposed to random decision-making.
“And it is clear that you may fall out of love with a sport if you start to question, with all the work you have been doing, all the sweat and tears and blood.”
Toto Wolff did not disclose whether Hamilton will be back for the 2022 F1 season in February as the Brit’s contract with Mercedes runs upto the end of 2022.
“I would very much hope that Lewis continues racing because he’s the greatest driver of all time,” the 49-year-old said.
“We will be working through the events over the next weeks and months and I think that as a racer, his heart will say ‘I need to continue’, because he is at the peak of his game.
“But we have to overcome the pain that was caused upon him on Sunday, also because he is a man with clear values and it is difficult for him to understand how that happened.”
“I just have to do the utmost that I can to help him overcome this, in order for him to return strong and with a love of the sport and trust in the decision-making of the sport next year, and I wish very much that will be the case.”
Hamilton has been silent after the Yas Marina race and quietly jetted back to UK on Wednesday to receive a knighthood award from Prince Charles at Windsor Castle.
