Lewis Hamilton has spoken for the first time about the 'difficult' ending to last year's Formula One season, as he confirms he'll return for the upcoming season.
In his first public appearance since losing the championship following a controversial last lap overtake by Max Verstappen in the final race of the season, Hamilton described the period after his heartbreaking loss as a 'difficult time', explaining that he 'need to take a step back' to come to terms with what had happened.
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Hamilton went quiet on social media for several months before returning in early February, and today, February 18, he made his return to the world of motorsport at the official unveiling of Mercedes' car for the 2022 Formula One season.
The seven-time world champion confirmed at the launch that despite speculation that he was considering his future in F1, he had not considered retirement, declaring himself more motivated than ever to compete for a record-breaking eighth world title.
'I never, ever said I was going to stop. It’s what I love doing,' he said at the event, per The Mirror. 'but it was obviously a difficult time for me. I needed to take a step back, focus on being present. I had my family with me and created special moments. But then it got to a point when I decided I was going to be attacking again.'
Hamilton is now in his tenth year with Mercedes, and had a word of warning for his rivals ahead of the upcoming season, telling them, 'If you think what you saw at the end of last year was my best, wait until you see this year...'
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The decision by race director Michael Masi to allow only some unlapped cars to overtake during a safety car, effectively engineering a one-lap shootout between Hamilton and Max Verstappen to decide the title, was widely panned by fans and those involved in the sport, and has led to questions about the integrity of Formula One.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that following a review into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Masi had been relieved of his duties, with a number of other changes expected to be implemented in an attempt to prevent a similar controversy from unfolding again.
At the unveiling event, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff welcomed the changes, saying, 'It feels a bit surreal to sit here after winning the constructors championship eight times in a row but obviously there was a shadow. It is very encouraging to see action has been taken and I think they are the right steps.'
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Topics: Sport
Hannah Smith