“It is still unclear whether Lewis Hamilton will be on the grid”– Mercedes superstar wants FIA to fix things before committing to 2022 F1 season

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton is still not committed to returning back to Formula 1 until the governing body fixes things.

Lewis Hamilton lost the 2021 F1 title in a very controversial fashion in Abu Dhabi. Since then, the seven-time world champion has yet to appear on either social media or mainstream media.

Thus, there have been rumours of him retiring before the start of the new season. Now, SkySports journalist Craig Slater claims that it is still unsure whether Hamilton would return to F1 until FIA makes some effective reforms.

“With 69 days to go until the first Grand Prix in Bahrain, it is still unclear whether Lewis Hamilton will be on the grid,” Slater said. “In terms of Hamilton coming back to Formula 1, having the appetite to do so and getting over the ‘disillusionment’ that his team boss Toto Wolff said he felt after Abu Dhabi.

“The onus is on the FIA to deliver on the pledge they made before Christmas to investigate the happenings on that final lap and to come up with some findings.”

“It is understood that Mercedes want to see something tangible, but it’s been put to me like this: the longer this drags on, the worse the Lewis Hamilton situation is, and that is from a senior source.”

💬 “The longer it goes on, the less chance we’ll see Lewis”

Craig Slater gives his insight on whether or not we will see Lewis Hamilton when the season starts 🤔 pic.twitter.com/MgdpVxFpQE

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) January 10, 2022

Also, read: Remember when Tony Stewart drove for McLaren in Formula 1, and Lewis Hamilton joined NASCAR?

FIA President is sure Lewis Hamilton will be back

Meanwhile, the new FIA President Ben Suleyman has assured that Hamilton will be returning for the 2022 season. He is confident that he would also be battling Verstappen once again.

“No, I don’t think he will [quit],” he told reporters ahead of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. “I’ll ask your question, did Lewis declare that he’s not going to race? No. Exactly. Being a driver, you say yourself. You don’t let the rumours [talk].

“I’m confident that Lewis [will return]. Lewis is a big part of motorsport, and of course of Formula 1, the new era [can add to] Lewis’s wins and achievements, and also Verstappen is there. I am very confident that you will see a very challenging Formula 1 season next year.”

Also read: Nico Rosberg claims Lewis Hamilton should have little to complaint against the outcome in Abu Dhabi

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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