Mercedes F1 team representative Toto Wolff says that if seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton retires, it will be a stigma that should be criticized for F1 as a whole.
Lewis Hamilton missed the record eighth F1 title after being overtaken by Max Verstappen in a controversial restart of the final lap of the final F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the same point.
In the safety car, only the car between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen was allowed to unlap, and the race resumed on the final lap immediately after that. Max Verstappen, who pitted into the safety car and fitted with new soft tires, took advantage of that and won his first F1 World Champion.
Mercedes F1 believes the protocol is not being followed correctly and is dissatisfied with how F1 race director Michael Masi handled the safety car restart procedure.
Lewis Hamilton remained silent in the media after a brief answer to the post-race podium interview, and also posted on social media. This has swirled rumors that Hamilton will retire from F1.
Toto Wolff does not affirm that Lewis Hamilton will be on the 2022 F1 grid.
“I really want to see him again,” Toto Wolff told Kronen Zeitung.
“He’s the most important part of our sport. If the best driver decides to quit because of a ridiculous decision, it will be a blameless stigma for Formula 1 as a whole.”
“No matter what the hurdles he faced, he knows he has to spend all his life on the race track.”
“But finding a way to understand what’s right and wrong is incredibly difficult for him. It just takes time.”
“We want to draw conclusions and give the right answer on the course, which is difficult enough with the new regulations.”
The FIA (International Automobile Federation) has begun a detailed analysis of the final lap of the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but the findings will not be announced until the start of the new season in March.
Category: Category: F1 / Mercedes
