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Lewis Hamilton suffered a heartbreaking loss at the Abu Dhabi GP. The way the last part of the race was handled left a lot to be desired. It has been interesting to see complete silence exercised on social media by the seven-time world champion. After graciously accepting defeat against Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton has kept himself away from the public eye, giving rise to rumors of him even retiring at the end of the 2021 season.
Since those rumors have subsided, there are a few developments that might be an early sign of things we might not foresee. These are developments that might lead to the Briton leaving the sport at the end of the F1 2022 season.
In this piece, we take a look at three factors that could lead to Lewis Hamilton retiring at the end of the 2022 F1 season.
Why Lewis Hamilton will retire after the F1 2022 season?
#1 George Russell could be a huge challenge
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George Russell is a legitimate top-tier talent in Formula 1 — a talent that belongs to the front of the grid. More importantly, the hungry talent has youth on his side and comes at a fraction of the price of Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton performed at a very high level in 2021. He, however, never faced a threat from Valtteri Bottas within the team. Russell is not coming to fill the void left by Bottas, instead he's coming to take over the lead role at Mercedes.
With Hamilton seemingly entering the last leg of his career, and Russell staking his claim at the future of F1, the 36-year-old might find himself in an uncomfortable position at Mercedes next season.
#2 Mercedes might not be as dominant as in the turbo era
Mercedes has been a dominant force in Formula 1 since the start of the turbo era in 2014. Even in 2021, when Lewis Hamilton lost the title to Max Verstappen, the Mercedes was, at worst, an equal to Red Bull.
With the switch to a new set of regulations in 2022, however, we could see a change of guard in F1. The kind of talent the grid has next year, with the likes of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, they will not miss out on such an opportunity.
Given the success that Lewis Hamilton has achieved throughout his career, it's hard to see him being motivated to fight for anything less than a title at this stage.
#3 At 37, the motivation might not be there anymore
Motivation might just be the key here as, at 37, Lewis Hamilton might not be the same hungry driver as he was when he made his debut. He has achieved seven titles in his career, and won more races and picked up more pole positions than any driver in the history of the sport.
The 2022 regulations are expected to usher in an era where cars might be racing relatively close to each other. In light of this, success in F1 could come down to how hungry a driver is for the win.
The question thus arises whether Lewis Hamilton, with seven titles to his name, will be as hungry for a win as the rest of the grid is. It's hard to answer this question affirmatively. So, when the same realization hits the British legend, we might see him hanging the gloves for good.
