Toto Wolff says that the decision of Lewis Hamilton to continue racing has nothing to do with FIA’s decision to replace the race director.
The FIA decided to replace the race director Michael Masi following the controversial events of the Abu Dhabi GP. But, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff does not think that this is the reason why Lewis Hamilton decided to continue.
While Hamilton dominated the entire race at the Yas Marina Circuit, he lost the championship in the final lap. Masi contravened the regulations before the final lap restart. His decisions allowed Max Verstappen to comfortably overtake his rival and win his maiden title.
Following the race, Hamilton went silent on social media until recently and raised speculations about whether or not he will return. However, despite the concerns, Wolff was never worried that Hamilton would decide to not continue racing.
He said, “Although you have to respect the driver is disillusioned after such events, but we have a strong team and great support. So I knew that he’s going to come back.”
Furthermore, he insisted that Hamilton would have continued racing even if Masi had remained in his position.
#F1: Toto Wolff on Lewis Hamilton: “Lewis is the best he’s ever been, we’ve seen the unbelievable level he’s able to compete [in]. I think it’s a privilege (…) I pinch myself every day to be working with the greatest ever.”
— deni (@fiagirly) February 18, 2022
Wolff told the BBC, “I think it was not about the race director or anybody else. It was about Lewis making peace with how the race ended.”
“For him, it’s all about justice, sporting fairness, and that wasn’t the case. He needed some time to reflect, he comes back, he’s strong, I see he’s in good spirits.”
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Lewis Hamilton had to walk away to free his mind
Wolff said that following the events of the final race of the 2021 season, the entire team was shocked. He said, “Like all of us in the team, there was an initial shock. I mean, it’s Formula 1, we must not forget it’s not global politics. But for us to be living in that microcosm it was absolutely shocking. We’ve never seen anything like that.”
“So he had to walk away and he had to walk away and free his mind and think about something else and then start in a way working on those events and trying to find a solution, a mental solution for himself.”
“We all were [disillusioned] because why we love this sport is that the stopwatch never lies and the honesty about it,” he added.
“And he was clearly the best guy on track on Sunday, not even the best, he was dominating the whole race. And then that’s been taken away by a decision of a single individual against all rules. So, in a way, to kind of digest that is very difficult.”
“I think most important is that we move on,” he said. “There was so much discussion about the Abu Dhabi event, for the right reasons, because how the grand Prix ended is not how a Formula 1 world championship should end. But the FIA has put in some good new structures and we are happy about that.”
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