Lewis Hamilton to retire from F1, insists Ecclestone after talking to stars dad
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Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that he has spoken to Lewis Hamilton's dad – and now he believes that the seven-time world champion will walk away from F1.
Former motorsport supremo Ecclestone thinks that Hamilton will not return to step into the Mercedes car for the 2022 season because of the controversy in the final race of the 2021 campaign.
Hamilton was denied a record-breaking eighth world title when FIA race director Michael Masi created a once-in-a-lifetime one-lap shootout for the title.
Because of Max Verstappen's fresher tyres, the Red Bull driver was able to battle past Hamilton to claim his first championship win.
The fallout from the race has been bitter, with Mercedes and Red Bull still at loggerheads, despite all appeals being withdrawn.
Ecclestone still keeps a close connection to F1 and has been speaking to Hamilton's father Anthony.
He told Blick : "I don't think he is coming back, I think he will not race next year.
"His disappointment in Abu Dhabi was too great, and I understand him.
"Now, tied for seven titles with Michael Schumacher, it is the perfect time for him to fulfil his dream and be a fashion entrepreneur.
"A couple of days ago I spoke with his father.
"I realised immediately that he did not want to talk about the future of his son, so we just talked about business."
Following the race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that he and Hamilton were feeling "disillusioned" with the sport after the controversial decision.
Wolff said: "Lewis and I are disillusioned at the moment. We are not disillusioned with the sport – we love the sport with every bone in our body and we love it because the stopwatch never lies.
"But if we break that fundamental principle of sporting fairness and authenticity, then suddenly the stopwatch doesn't become relevant anymore because we are exposed to random decision-making, it is clear you may fall out of love with it.
"You start to question if all the work you have been putting in – all the sweat, tears and blood – can actually be demonstrated by performance on track, because it can be taken away randomly.
"It's going to take a long time for us to digest what has happened.
"I don't think we will ever get over it. That's not possible. And certainly not as a driver.
"I very much hope that the two of us and the rest of the team can work through the events but we will never overcome the pain and the distress that was caused.
"To be honest, still today I can't even understand what was happening. For me, that still seems like a nightmare."
- Lewis Hamilton
- F1
- Mercedes
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