How close was Lewis Hamilton really to retiring from the premier class after the controversial Formula 1 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi? After the race on December 12, 2021, the record world champion almost completely withdrew from the public for a long time.
He skipped the mandatory FIA awards ceremony four days later, and there was also complete silence on social media for more than a month. Hamilton only reported back there at the end of January, which is why there was long speculation about a possible resignation.
“I never said that I would stop,” emphasized Hamilton himself in February 2022, when he spoke publicly for the first time about the period after the Abu Dhabi final, and Toto Wolff also made it clear: “There are no worries on our part given that he could not return.”
But now Hamilton has revealed that he was definitely thinking about the topic of resignation at the time. He even “definitely” thought about it, he admits about two years later and reveals: “During that time [nach Abu Dhabi] There was so much going through my head.”
Hamilton didn’t want to make an “emotional” decision
But Hamilton explains, “One of the worst things you can do is make decisions based on emotions. And when you’re emotional, you usually don’t make the best decisions in the heat of the moment.”
And because it was such an emotional situation at the time, he took his time. “It was a really difficult time and I just had to wait for things to calm down so I could think clearly and then make the right decisions,” he explains.
“I was with my niece and nephew in a beautiful place, in Hawaii with my family,” he remembers. He discussed the issue with himself and finally reached a point “where I felt really satisfied and just wanted to get up again and move on.”
This year, Hamilton even extended his contract again; he will now drive in Formula 1 and for Mercedes at least until the end of 2025. At the end of the 2025 season, the record world champion will be almost 41 years old.
This is in contrast to previous statements when Hamilton stated that at 40 he would definitely no longer compete in Formula 1. “That’s true,” he admits, explaining that he had learned “that you should never say never. But at that point I definitely didn’t think I would continue,” he emphasizes.
Hamilton believes: I can actually “only lose”
There are “long seasons” in Formula 1, he reminds us and explains: “You’re away from everyone for a long time. I’ve been doing this for 16 years. It’s grueling. There’s a lot of glitz and glamor and a lot of positivity, but it It’s by no means easy to give your best, show dedication, keep training and constantly perform.”
“It’s a lot of pressure,” says Hamilton, who emphasizes that this particularly applies to him personally because: “I’m constantly under observation and I’m at a point in my life where I can’t win.”
Even if he won, these successes would be taken for granted because of his previous achievements in Formula 1. “At this point in life, all I can do is lose, and there was certainly a point where I questioned whether I wanted to go through this or not,” Hamilton said.
Ultimately, he decided to continue because “the small victories” had become important to him. An example is second place in the constructors’ championship this year and seeing “how much that means to the people in the team.”
“I definitely didn’t think I would [in diesem Alter] “I would still race,” admits Hamilton, “but if we have a similar year to this one next year, then there will be a hitch and I’ll think to myself: ‘Shit, I won’t do this longer than 40.'”
Hamilton: Maybe I’ll just be gone at some point…
It is still unclear whether he will continue to drive in Formula 1 beyond 2025. But what would a farewell look like? Would he announce it well in advance or just stop at some point? “I can’t say, I really don’t know,” said Hamilton.
“It could be abrupt and I just disappear from the scene. It could be that I slip into a different role. I really have no idea. I still love driving, I still love getting in the car,” says the 38th -year-old clear.
“When they start the car, with all the people around you, the crew, and you pull into the pit lane, I still have that smile on my face like the first day I drove,” said Hamilton. who is still waiting for the day when that will no longer be the case.
“But there will also come a point where I want to use my energy on something else,” he admits, explaining that at some point he will certainly have the desire to stay in one place for a longer period of time and not travel constantly.
But at the moment he can’t do that (yet). “If I’m in one place for a week, I get tingly feet and have to go somewhere else,” reveals the record champion. Actually the best conditions to continue your Formula 1 career for a few more years.