Former F1 Champion Mario Andretti feels that Lewis Hamilton would be ‘doing a disservice’ to himself if he retires from the sport.
A new season of F1 racing is just over two months away, but we’re still yet to hear from Lewis Hamilton following his heartbreaking loss in last year’s finale. After the events in Yas Island, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that he isn’t sure about Hamilton returning to F1 in 2022.
Fans around the world feel that Hamilton’s prolonged silence is a sign of him leaving the sport. FIA’s newly elected President Mohammed bin Sulayem himself revealed that the Brit is not responding to his messages.
An incredible 103 @F1 wins for Lewis. But which one is your all-time favourite… 💭 pic.twitter.com/dDdhzQxQzV
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) January 7, 2022
1978 World Champion Mario Andretti feels that a person like Hamilton has no reason to leave F1. He cites the 37-year old’s mental strength as the reason behind his statement.
“It’s hard to get into somebody else’s head,” he said to Rn365. “But from where I stand I would say, ‘You know what? I’m going to go out there and show them!'”
“He has a big incentive to be alone with an eighth world title, so what more incentive do you want? “He has so much to look forward to, to go out there and still battle. He’s got all the ingredients to be able to fight. That’s the way I see it.”
Also read: Former Red Bull driver reveals truth about Max Verstappen
The fans want to see Lewis Hamilton back in Formula 1
Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s rivalry has been one for the ages. The two exceptional drivers pushed each other to the very limit over the course of the 2021 season. It was only in the final lap of the very last race that this colossal battle was truly decided.
“I’m sure that all of his fans would love to see that,” the Italian-American continued. “Let this saga continue, with this great rivalry between the two teams and two great drivers. I think he would probably even do a disservice to himself, perhaps, to leave under negative circumstances from his standpoint.”
“At the end of the day you cannot argue about the ultimate results in my opinion. Max is certainly a deserving world champion.”
“Max knows darn well that it took a miracle for it to happen, and the miracle was Latifi crashing, which no one could have predicted. But that’s the beauty of our sport: it’s not over until it’s over. You have to accept that,” Andretti feels.
“Lewis cannot really complain very much about bad luck,” he added. “Look at what happened at Silverstone, for instance.”
“At Silverstone, he knocks out his biggest rival, he had damage to his car, they red-flagged the race, and then he was able to repair the car and still start up front and win the race, with his rival in a hospital.”
