Lewis Hamilton retirement hint as Mercedes candidate reveals stance and Toto Wolff chat

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Mercedes test and reserve driver Nyck de Vries has dropped a major hint over Lewis Hamilton’s immediate future by declaring that he is no longer actively chasing a race seat with the Silver Arrows. De Vries has recently been mentioned as one of several candidates in the frame to replace Hamilton if the Brit decides to retire in the wake of last year’s controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton was cruelly denied a record-breaking eighth Drivers’ Championship title by Max Verstappen at the Yas Marina Circuit after a late safety car period which slashed his healthy on-track advantage over the Red Bull man.

Verstappen was given a clear run at his Mercedes rival when race director Michael Masi asked only the five lapped cars between the two leaders to un-lap themselves under the safety car.

He went on to force his way ahead of Hamilton during the final-lap shootout that followed to take the chequered flag and clinch the end-of-season honours in dramatic fashion.

Masi’s controversial handling of events raised plenty of eyebrows given the widely-held belief that all lapped cars would be required to overtake the safety car in such a scenario.

Hamilton was left angered by the situation and is said to be considering his future in the sport after losing trust in the FIA.

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De Vries is currently racing for Mercedes in Formula E and has recently been put forward as a potential alternative to Hamilton in the event of the latter’s departure.

However, it seems as though he will not be stepping up this year after revealing that he does not speak about the possibility of a future F1 seat with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

“We have regular contact but we didn’t talk about Formula One,” De Vries told Laola1.at when quizzed on the topic.

“But I’m not actively working on it anymore. Next year is a new season, let’s see what happens. I will do my job as well as I can.”

De Vries went on to admit that he was honoured to have been named among the possible replacements for Hamilton before underlining his commitment to the defence of his Formula E title over the coming months.

“I was delighted and really impressed that my name was even mentioned among the candidates,” added De Vries.

“That confirms how my potential is seen. So much is changing so quickly. A lot of what happened is beyond my control.

“I can only contribute something through my performances on the tracks. I can’t influence what happens outside. I’m happy with what I’m able to do right now and racing for titles.”

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Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Hamilton will officially confirm his return to F1 in the near future ahead of next month’s opening pre-season test.

Reports have claimed that he is waiting on the results of the FIA’s investigation into what happened in Abu Dhabi before making a concrete decision.

Hamilton is said to be hoping that Masi will be relieved of his duties, a move which is believed to be among the likely options on the table in advance of the new season.

However, the FIA’s findings are not expected to be announced until just two days before the first race in Bahrain, leaving Hamilton with an important call to make over the next few weeks.

He is currently under contract at Mercedes until the end of 2023 after penning a two-year extension to his previous deal back in July.

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