Will Hamilton return this F1 season after the Abu Dhabi controversy?

This isn’t a question that we can answer, in all honesty, as that’s a matter only Lewis Hamilton knows, and he is the one who can really understand his own feelings. Formula 1 will start a new era in the 2022 campaign, and that era could start without the face of the sport, in terms of drivers. Whether Hamilton will return in 2022 or not is something that we haven’t confirmed yet, but there are a lot of people out there who would bet on him not returning due to a likely loss of faith in the F1 system. To know about Formula 1 betting and how you can join the show in 2022, you can learn more to become a real contender.

The safety car driving in front of Lewis
Hamilton during the Abu Dhabi F1 GP

After the controversial finish of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, which settled the World Championship in Max Verstappen’s favor after the race director implemented a new protocol for the Safety Car and the Dutchman used his fresh tyres to hunt Hamilton down, the sport has been in a lot of questions.

Lots of Hamilton fans have pointed out that the decision to allow the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen before the final lap of the Abu Dhabi GP was a manipulation made for entertainment purposes and did not follow the regulations, which stated that after the last lapped car surpassed the Safety Car, the latter should come in at the end of the following lap. If rules were followed, the race would’ve ended behind the Safety Car.

Of course, those who defend the finish of the Abu Dhabi race on December 12th, 2021, have been quick to state that the race director has overriding authority established in the rulebook. However, it must be noted that the authority given to the race director does not give him full power to do anything with a determined race, especially when safety is part of the situation. The race director has control of the Safety Car, sure, but it surely comes in terms of when or if the Safety Car must be deployed. When the Safety Car is on the track, the established protocol should be followed. At the end of the day, it is the Safety Car, not the Opportunity-to-make-it-interesting Car.

Now, Toto Wolff indicated that he hoped Lewis Hamilton would be back for the 2022 Formula 1 season, while some Hamilton fans are divided between thinking that he should return to ‘avenge’ this ‘unfair’ loss and those who believe that Formula 1 is not worth it for the soon-to-be 37-year-old champion.

Opinions will invariably be different, but one thing is certain, the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will always be remembered as the day in which Formula 1 crowned a new champion, but when the thing that really reigned was controversy and disappointment from many die-hard fans.

Race winner and 2021 F1 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen is congratulated by runner up in the race and championship Lewis Hamilton on December 12, 2021 in Abu Dhabi (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Will the sport suffer from such controversy? Probably, but only in the eyes of those who are die-hard followers of the circus and know that a decision should not be made due to entertainment purposes (especially when the rules state the protocol that should be followed).

In terms of casual and new fans that inevitably joined the sport in the middle of a tremendous fight between Mercedes’ Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in 2021, they surely enjoyed the finish, as it certainly looked entertaining if you didn’t consider the tyre difference.

Formula 1 is definitely in front of the start of a new era of cars that might look stunning on track, but the sport needs to clean its act and work towards keeping, or regaining, an integrity that has too often been questioned. Any publicity is good publicity, but a series as big as F1 should not in any shape or form allow for its integrity to disappear only for the show or to appeal to new fans that might not stay for the long run, compared with motor racing fans who have been there for decades, through tragedy, highs, lows, scandals and memorable eras.

Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of F1-Fansite.com, staff or partners.

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