Lewis Hamilton and his team Mercedes have been slammed for fuelling the retirement talk, with F1 insiders confident they were putting on a show.
Hamilton’s future is up in the air as he hasn’t been seen since his heartbreaking defeat at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. He was robbed of a record-breaking eighth world title in highly controversial fashion, with the fallout of it prompting him to think of his future in the sport.
F1 and Mercedes are trying their best to get the seven-time world champion to change his mind and come back for the 2022 season. However, everything is still very much in the dark, with retirement still the most backed rumour regarding the British Knight’s future.
However, Hamilton and Mercedes have been slammed for their retirement talk, with sources close to both suggesting they were biding their time and adding fuel to the fire.
A source close to Mercedes has told The Telegraph that the silence from Hamilton is “all for show”, and that the F1 centurion was using it to force the FIA to address the scandal of Abu Dhabi.
With the FIA’s investigation regarding the Abu Dhabi GP still going on, Hamilton and Mercedes won’t be getting an answers anytime soon.
Poli-tricks
“It’s all part of the drama,” one F1 insider told the newspaper.
“The truth is Lewis is going to have a super competitive car this year and he’s got 50 million reasons for staying (the value of his new contract with Mercedes).
“Anyway, if he was going to retire he’d have said it by now wouldn’t he? Otherwise, he’s just going to f**k the team because they’ve got no options.”
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