“It would be an indictment for the whole of F1”: Mercedes boss fears Lewis Hamilton departure would damage the reputation of the sport as a whole

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff feels that Lewis Hamilton leaving F1 would cause irreparable damage to the sport’s image. 

The 2022 F1 season is just over two months away, but the dust surrounding last season’s finale has still not settled. After the events of Abu Dhabi, it was widely speculated that Hamilton would not return to F1.

Wolff himself admitted that he could not guarantee the legendary driver’s return to the paddock in March. He went on to say that Hamilton was ‘very hurt’ and that the entire team was left shocked over how things unfolded in Yas Island last December.

As the new season approaches, we still haven’t heard anything from Sir Lewis Hamilton’s side. Many people fear that his silence is a sign of him not returning to F1 this year, and Toto Wolff made it clear that fans would be absolutely furious with the FIA if that turns out to be true.

FIA Statement #F1 pic.twitter.com/SQXKxK5LOG

— FIA (@fia) January 13, 2022

“I really hope we will see him again. He is the most important part of our sport,” Wolff said to Krone. “It would be an indictment for the whole of Formula 1. If the best driver decided to quit because of outrageous decisions.”

FIA recently announced that they had started their investigation regarding the events of Abu Dhabi. However, the final report will arrive on March 18- the opening day of the 2022 F1 season in Bahrain.

Also read: The unknown story of Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff and his rise to the top

Max Verstappen was a worthy Champion, but on that day, Lewis Hamilton was unbeatable

Hamilton did look like he was comfortably going to win the race and his 8th World Title on that infamous Sunday evening in Abu Dhabi. A late safety car followed by Race Director Michael Masi’s controversial decision making took it all away from him in the blink of an eye.

Wolff insists that Verstappen was a worthy winner when the entire season is considered. However, he’s adamant that Hamilton was on another level that evening and that no one could come close to the Brit in terms of pace.

While we wait for the new #F1 season to start, let’s take a look back at one of the most heart-warming days off-track from last year: our day trip out with @LewisHamilton‘s Engineering School and @MercedesAMGF1📚#ShareUBS pic.twitter.com/aYCJ5FX4Xj

— UBS Formula 1 (@UBSf1) January 14, 2022

“It will never be forgotten. Because what happened to Lewis was simply wrong,” the Austrian said.

“On that day he was unbeatable. Until the stewards blew a fuse and decided on three infringements of the rules. It’s hard to understand.”

“It will always stick with us. Even though Max Verstappen is a worthy World Champion over the course of the season. But on that day, one was better than the other. And he didn’t win.” he concluded.

Also read: George Russell talks about rejection email to Toto Wolff and how Mercedes boss reacted