The seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he had contemplated retirement after the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi where a controversial ruling of certain directives denied him a record eighth championship.
“I don’t know if I can really put into words the feeling that I had,” Hamilton said in an interview. “I do remember just sitting there in disbelief. And realising I’ve got to undo my belts, I’ve got to get out of there, I’ve got to climb out of this thing, I’ve got to find the strength. I had no strength. And it was one of the toughest moments, I would say, that I’ve had in a long, long time.”
He also believed that the decision wasn’t right and that his father helped him deal with the loss. He said, “I knew what had happened. I knew what decisions had been made and why. Yes, I knew that something wasn’t right. He embraced me, and I think he was like, ‘I want you to know how proud I am of you.’ Having your father embrace you in that way is one of the most profound things I’ve ever…”
The 37-year-old also acknowledged that he does not like driving on regular city roads as he finds it too stressful. “I just think that I find it stressful. I try not to do things that don’t add to my life,” he said.
As the interview was taken in a car, where the Brit was driving on the busy streets near Nice, Hamilton told his interviewer: “Look, we’re on these roads, anything can happen.” Later with traffic gradually increasing, he went on to say: “This is now stressful for me. This road is crazy. So much going on here. I’m going to turn around in a second.”
Lewis Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes lasts until the end of next year and in the interview, he has expressed that he could be extending his tenure in Formula One beyond then. “I’ll be lying if I said that I hadn’t thought about extending,” he said. “I’m still on the mission, I’m still loving driving, I’m still being challenged by it. So I don’t really feel like I have to give it up anytime soon.”
