“Wolff suffered a lot of image damage”- Former F1 champion reckons Lewis Hamilton is staying silent to distance himself from Toto Wolff

Lewis Hamilton has maintained silence since he lost his record eighth drivers’ title in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve thinks that Lewis Hamilton is weighing up the possibility of winning his eighth championship in the 2022 season. Based on that, he will make the decision of whether or not he should return to the sport.

Villeneuve told Italy’s Gazzetta Dello Sport, “It depends on the car that Mercedes will give Hamilton, whether he can win easily with it or not.”

#F1: John Watson says the media is perplexed by Lewis Hamilton’s behaviour, because the would like to have him out there making controversial statements.

“Obviously, everybody wants Lewis to come out and make controversial comments, for Netflix and Drive to Survive.”

— deni (@fiagirly) January 19, 2022

“Lewis is also a bit more tired, he has had [some] easy seasons after Nico Rosberg’s departure and he really won’t want to have another year like he experienced last season.”

“He thought he could easily bring in the record eighth title and that didn’t happen. It’s like a diamond that you have in your hands and then suddenly it’s taken out of your hands. In this way, it hurt much more than if Verstappen would have simply led the whole race,” he further added.

Also Read: Toto Wolff demands actions not words from FIA after Abu Dhabi GP results amidst ongoing investigation

Lewis Hamilton is distancing himself from Toto Wolff

The Canadian driver thinks that the seven-time world champion is trying to stay away from his team principal. Villeneuve believes that Wolff’s dramatic actions of throwing off headphones or slamming the table might not be of Hamilton’s taste.

Villeneuve explained, “I also interpret Hamilton’s silence as him wanting to put some distance between himself and Wolff. After all, you can lose with style, whereas Toto behaved like someone who is playing Monopoly. The moment he is losing, [he] throws the whole board into the air.”

Following Wolff’s radio message of, “No Michael no, that was so not right”, going viral after Abu Dhabi GP, Villeneuve thinks, “In doing so, Wolff suffered a lot of image damage, in my opinion.”

“Hamilton is sensitive to that because he is thinking about his future in America, maybe even in Hollywood.”

Also Read: Former F1 driver says Netflix’s Drive to Survive contributed to the controversial ending of the 2021 season