Mercedes Principal Toto Wolff has revealed that he was never worried about Lewis Hamilton quitting Formula 1
F1 fans held their breath last year during Lewis Hamilton’s social media hiatus. There was speculation around his future in the sport after the controversial events that took place at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who was on course to win his eighth world title, was in control of his destiny at the Yas Marina circuit. However, former FIA F1 race director Michael Masi seemed to bend the rules towards the end of the race to allow the British driver’s rival Max Verstappen the chance to win the title following a late safety car.
Verstappen did manage to get past Hamilton with a last-lap overtake, which gave the Red Bull star his first Drivers’ championship. While Hamilton was gracious in his defeat after the final race of the season, he later revealed that he needed some time to clear his head.
But Hamilton’s deafening silence after the debacle at the Abu Dhabi GP spoke volumes. For nearly two months, he was inactive on social media, a platform he uses to communicate with his fans. He was also rarely photographed and near the public eye.
While speculation over his future in F1 was intense, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was never worried about his superstar driver quitting the sport.
Toto Wolff says Hamilton is now in good spirits ahead of Bahrain GP
While speaking to reporters ahead of the 2022 Bahrain GP, Wolff explained that Hamilton was disillusioned after the controversial end of last season. But the Austrian was confident that the Briton was never going to leave Formula 1 in such a manner.
“Considering the gravity of the incident that happened in Abu Dhabi, it leaves a driver of that calibre quite disillusioned. But I always knew it wasn’t the end of his Formula One career or his journey with Mercedes,” said Wolff.
He added, “I was always pretty sure. There was a certain easiness. I know when he’s going in the wrong direction, but I felt pretty good about him during that time.”
Hamilton, who won last season’s Bahrain GP, will now have a mammoth task ahead of him on Sunday if he is to win the race again this year. The Mercedes driver finished 5th in qualifying, with teammate George Russell starting the race from 9th place on the grid.
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