“I’m back in action.” Lewis Hamilton begins his 16th season in Formula 1, this weekend at the Shakir circuit in Bahrain, where F1 kicks off its 2022 season. campaign, as speculation around the seven-time world champion driver has been going well this winter. While he is under contract with Mercedes until 2023.
And for good reason, the Briton completely disappeared from the radar for almost two months at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen crowned with the title of world champion 2021 thanks to an overtaking on Hamilton in the last lap. And after more than questionable choices by Michael Masi, which moreover cost the race director his place. “It was a little crazy. Abu Dhabi was a tough time, probably for all of us. It’s crazy times the world is going through and I needed to disconnect,” the pilot explained earlier this week at Expo Dubai 2020.
“Getting away from social media is a good thing”
He, who is as present on social networks as in the paddocks, simply emptied his Instagram account, before putting himself in airplane mode. “The truce was a little different this year. You should know, in case you’re thinking about it, that getting away from social media is a good thing. I missed everyone who follows and supports me, but I needed to refocus and refocus,” he said.
And above all to digest this crazy final in Abu Dhabi, which deprived him of an eighth crown which would have allowed him to become the most successful driver in history, ahead of a certain Michael Schumacher. “I was with the family, trying to be the best uncle possible, to rebuild myself,” he said.
A silence which even made some say that the French driver, Pierre Gasly, could have recovered the seat of the Briton in the event of retirement. But the suspense ended on February 5 with an Instagram post. Necessarily. ” I left. Now I’m back,” he posted, posing in front of the grand canyon. And with the champion’s appetite: “I have now returned to obtain this eighth title, that’s why I am here”. As if anyone really doubted it.
“Never as healthy and fit as today”
And to listen to him, this break was most beneficial to him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as healthy and fit as I am today, I feel more focused. I still love what I do. I always appreciate the challenges offered. I didn’t think that at my age I would still be so sharp and full of energy. I get up in the morning with always the same desire to go running and work on my physical condition, I give it more time than all these young people, ”he warned.
Best proof of the return of Lewis Hamilton, his declarations at the end of the pre-season tests in Bahrain: “I am sure that everyone can realize it, we are not the fastest at the moment, notes he. Ferrari seems to be the fastest and maybe Red Bull and then us or McLaren, I don’t know. We are not at the top right now. Either the same refrain served before each start of the season, just to shift the pressure on its competitors. But something could change, if Lewis Hamilton were to win this record eighth title. It would also be with the name of his mother, Larbalestier, that he wishes to add to that of his father, Hamilton.