Lewis Hamilton 2022 plans confirmed by Mercedes in statement ahead of new F1 season

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen analysed by Coulthard

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Mercedes have all but confirmed Lewis Hamilton will represent the team in 2022. Speculation regarding a potential retirement was rampant due to the Brit’s two-month silence following the Abu Dhabi GP heartache.

But the seven-time champion broke his silence with a post on social media last week, and has posted consistently since.

Now the winners of eight consecutive constructors championships have dropped the latest suggestion that Hamilton will line up for the silver arrows in the upcoming season.

The official schedule for Mercedes’ 2022 car launch next Friday has been released and Hamilton’s name has been included.

On the day, he is set to feature in a livestream alongside team principal Toto Wolff and new teammate George Russell at the unveiling of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance motor.

There will also be a launch press release which will include driver quotes, Q&As with senior management, key personnel profiles and technical specifications.

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Photos of the silver arrows’ new motor will also be released and following this launch, Mercedes will become the eighth team to unveil their new 2022 car.

Following his controversial defeat in 2021, F1 commentator David Croft believes Hamilton will return with a point to prove in the 2022 season after being ‘robbed’ of last season’s world title.

He told Sky Sports: “Lewis has taken time away, much needed time away, from the public eye to process, to digest and to eventually get over what happened in Abu Dhabi.

“Yes, he was robbed of the championship through no fault of his own and by mistakes that happened elsewhere. He should’ve won that race.

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“If the rules had been adhered to, as they are written, he would’ve won that race [and] we wouldn’t have had that last lap.

“But knowing Lewis Hamilton as I do, he’s not a man that would want to leave his racing career at the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi. He will want to come back and prove he is still the greatest driver of all time.

“So I’m expecting him to be on the grid, although at times this winter, I’m sure Lewis Hamilton did think that maybe this could be the end.

“But I think he’s not so much changed his mind, but I think he’s realised his heart is very much in racing and winning and performing at the highest standard, as he has done for so many seasons in Formula 1.”

This week, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz lifted the lid on a podium chat with Hamilton following the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton crossed the line in second, while the Spaniard finished third and the 27-year-old told Corriere Della Sera that he would have felt ‘very bad’ in Hamilton’s shoes, adding that he was ‘surprised he avoided making a mess at the end of the race’. 

“Losing the title on the last lap like that, it’s just hard to accept,” continued the Spaniard.

“I respect him more than before for the way he managed to do it. We had a few words on the podium, he was really struggling [to comprehend the situation].”

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