Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of retiring after his controversial defeat to Max Verstappen in the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP.
Until the last lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, everyone in F1 saw Lewis Hamilton picking up his eighth championship title. But the entire course of the race changed following a decision by then race director Michael Masi.
The controversial final lap saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen picking up his first championship title. It also triggered a lot of criticism from around the globe.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Hamilton admitted that he felt cheated by events at the Yas Marina Circuit. He said, “I, for sure, considered whether I wanted to continue.”
#F1: Lewis Hamilton after Vettel’s announcement: “I think it’s a reminder that I’m in that part of my career where people that I came up with and raced with for so long will start to stop. Before you know it, Fernando will not be here. And then, who was there after that?
— deni (@fiagirly) August 10, 2022
However, he revealed that his two close friends convinced him to not give up just yet.
Starbucks chairwoman Mellody Hobson who has a net worth of $120 Million and her husband Hollywood director George Lucas with a net worth of $5.5 Billion were by the British driver’s side to give him mental support.
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Lewis Hamilton was in a dark place
After the controversial results of the 2021 season, Hamilton disappeared from social media for months. His actions led to speculation that maybe he was planning to retire from the sport.
But during his time, he spent time with his friends and family who supported him to get back on track stronger ahead of the 2022 season.
Hobson said, “He was in a dark place.” She said that she had invited the seven-time world champion to spend Christmas with the couple in the Caribbean.
Initially, Hamilton had denied the offer following which Hobson offered to go to him before he finally accepted.
Talk of events in Abu Dhabi was off-limits, but Hamilton and Hobson did discuss his future, often at dawn.
“And that’s when we spent a lot of time sort of going in and debriefing,” said Hobson, 53, whom Hamilton regards as a big sister.
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