Two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen feels Lewis Hamilton won’t want to get involved with F1 if Mercedes don’t make the fastest car.
Hamilton has won six World Championships during his time with Mercedes. His decision to leave McLaren and join the German team in 2013 was seen as a big gamble by many at the time. This was because the former were in a better place performance wise, up until that year.
With the onset of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014, Mercedes embarked on an era of dominance that was previously unseen in the sport. Between 2014 and 2021, they won every single Constructors’ Title, with no team posing a serious threat until Red Bull in 2021.
Last year, Max Verstappen became the first non-Mercedes driver to win the title in the turb0-hybrid era. Verstappen’s win however, was marred by controversy surrounding Race Director Michael Masi’s decision making in the final few laps of the season finale.
Hamilton and Mercedes felt that they were wronged by Race Control that evening. And the former has reportedly been contemplating leaving F1 altogether. With the new season just over a month away, we still haven’t heard the Brit share his thoughts on the incident or assure fans about his future in F1.
Former World Champion Mika Hakkinen believes that Hamilton will only remain in F1 if Mercedes continue their dominance onto the 2022 season.
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Hakkinen isn’t sure about Lewis Hamilton making a return in 2022
Hamilton would love to return to F1 and make a statement by winning his eighth World Title. However, in order to do so, Mercedes have to provide him with the right car.
Hakkinen feels that Hamilton has been driving an unbeatable car for so long that it will be tough for him to settle for anything less. As a result, the pressure is on Mercedes’ shoulders to draw the 37-year old back to F1.
“Lewis’ journey in Formula 1 has been really long. And there are so many elements which will come into his opinion as to whether to continue,” said Hakkinen. “Lewis has the confidence. He has been winning, he has been on the top of the podium. And everybody has been looking at him like, ‘Wow, you are great’.
“He is thinking that it must continue this way. So this is going to be a very interesting year for him. It is going to be a completely new machine. And the chances are that the designers might not find an optimum machine.”
“If that happens to Lewis, it is going to be really hard for him to accept. If you have been at the top of the mountain and suddenly you have to climb back up the mountain because you don’t have the best car, it is going to be emotional for him to control,” the Finn concluded.
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