Formula One fans, it appears time to put the gossip and speculation to bed.
Mercedes posted a tweet on Wednesday that seemed to confirm that star driver Lewis Hamilton is returning for Year 16. It comes after months of silence concerning his intentions for the 2022 season, which begins in 32 days.
There had been reports and rumors surrounding whether or not the famed British driver would return this season after the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which resulted in Max Verstappen’s victory, giving him the title of world champion.
A late safety car came out for a Nicholas Latifi crash with just a few laps to go in December. Red Bull brought in Verstappen to switch to soft tires, but Hamilton remained out on his hard tires, or he would have sacrificed the lead. Five lapped cars sat between the two dueling for the World Champion title as the racers drove around the track behind the safety car for the final laps. Red Bull manager Christian Horner asked Formula One race director Michael Masi over radio about the situation: “Why aren’t we getting these cars out of the way? We only need one racing lap.”
After the exchange, in a surprising and controversial move, Masi decided on lap 57 of 58 to allow those five cars to overtake the safety car. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff yelled over the race radio to Masi about the decision, as it placed Verstappen right on Hamilton's tail for a one-lap mad dash to the finish.
Not all of the lapped cars were allowed to unlap themselves, creating even more confusion among the drivers. Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher were three other lapped drivers, and the first two—Ricciardo and Stroll—were in-between Verstappen in second-place, and Carlos Sainz in third.
The race restarted with Verstappen just behind Hamilton, and the 24-year-old retook the lead on the final lap to win the race and the title. Formula One stewards later dismissed both of Mercedes’ protests concerning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the controversial restart. However, FIA soon launched its investigation into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and the findings will be released on March 18, two days before the start of the 2022 season.
Although the investigation is still ongoing, Masi's job reportedly could be in jeopardy.
Wolff previously said he and Hamilton are “disillusioned” with Formula One given the outcome, and these findings could reportedly determine whether the British star will continue to compete or retire, per ESPN.
Hamilton had been silent following the season finale until Feb. 5 when he posted a photo with the caption, “I’ve been gone. Now I’m back!”
