After the end of the 2021 season more than two weeks ago, Lewis Hamilton has opted for total silence. The Mercedes driver had responded with dignity to the first interview conducted by Jenson Button after getting out of the car, but then dodged all questions.
He did not attend the traditional FIA press conference after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and did not appear before the media at Yas Marina. Four days later, he did not go to the FIA awards gala in Paris. His only public appearance was on Wednesday December 15, three days after the end of the course, to be officially knighted in London.
That complete silence never ceases to amaze, especially since Toto Wolff himself caused confusion with a phrase full of meaning: “I really hope that Lewis continues to compete, because he is the best driver of all time.” And, fueled by that silence, the hypothesis of Lewis Hamilton’s withdrawal from Formula 1 inevitably arose.
Just three days before the end of the year, the seven-time world champion maintains his silence, even on social networks, where he is accustomed to great activity and continuous updating of his life, also between seasons. An attitude that Toto Wolff explains in a simple way. “The silence is there, of course, because words are also lacking, simply”, justifies the director of Mercedes.
“We all have emotions that fluctuate, that oscillate very strongly,” he explains. “Him more than the others. Between that incredible feat of winning the world championship in the last grand prix and having everything taken away from you in a second you obviously lose faith, because you can’t understand what just happened. But we were also in constant communication regarding the possibility of the appeal. He was also in the office with me and everyone else involved, and we had been in frequent contact over the past few days.”
Toto Wolff also says that he managed to find the right words to say to the British pilot before his trip to London to be officially knighted. “What I told him was that he should try to enjoy those few hours where his life’s work and accomplishments were going to be honored, that he should try to keep the positive moments with him. I think he did. We see it too.” important it was for him. And after that, in the afternoon, we resumed the videoconferences to decide what to do”.
Finally, what Mercedes decided was to withdraw its appeal to definitively terminate the 2021 Formula 1 world championship.
With additional reporting by Christian Nimmervoll
