Sir Lewis Hamilton has finally responded to his social media silence - almost two months after suffering title heartbreak at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion had remained quiet since losing out to Max Verstappen in a controversial title shootout at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12.
There was a huge fallout to follow but, four days following the devastating finale, his Mercedes outfit confirmed that they had withdrawn their appeal against the outcome of the title-deciding grand prix.
The team said they had made the decision following "constructive dialogue" with governing body FIA with regard to establishing clarity for future scenarios.
And now Hamilton, who was knighted in December, has belatedly had his say on the saga.
JOIN THE DEBATE! Should Mercedes have upheld their appeal over the Abu Dhabi GP result? Let us know in the comments
The Mercedes star posted a photo of himself standing in front of the Grand Canyon, smiling at the camera.
"I’ve been gone. Now I’m back!" Hamilton wrote as the caption, alluding to the near two months he has gone since commenting on what happened in Abu Dhabi.
The Brit's comments come after his Silver Arrows outfit withdrew their appeal on December 16.
Their statement read: "The Mercedes-AMG Petronas team will actively work with this commission to build a better Formula 1 - for every team and every fan who loves this sport as much as we do.
"We will hold the FIA accountable for this process and we hereby withdraw our appeal."
The season-ending race in Abu Dhabi saw Red Bull's Verstappen claim victory and the title after the deployment of a late safety car led to the Dutchman being placed right behind Mercedes rival Hamilton, who he then overtook on the final lap.
Mercedes had an immediate double appeal dismissed by the stewards, then lodged an intention to appeal against that decision, which they were required to trigger by Thursday evening.
Mercedes added in the statement: "We appealed in the interest of sporting fairness, and we have since been in a constructive dialogue with the FIA and Formula One to create clarity for the future, so that all competitors know the rules under which they are racing, and how they will be enforced.
"Thus, we welcome the decision by the FIA to install a commission to thoroughly analyse what happened in Abu Dhabi and to improve the robustness of the rules, governance and decision-making in Formula One.
"We also welcome that they have invited the teams and drivers to take part."
