Former F1 driver claims “childish” Lewis Hamilton is “seeking attention” with media silence over his future in the sport

The 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton lost his first shot at a record eighth world title, came to a controversial end. Amid rumors of the Briton's retirement, former F1 driver Michael Bleekemolen described Hamilton's actions and behavior ever since the season finale as a “childish hassle”.

As reported by Motorsport, Bleekemolen commented on Hamilton's silence on the matter:

"I think that's a bit of attention seeking. He's always like this sort of thing. He now threatens not to drive, of course, because he wants things to be sorted out properly. But we all know what happened. I don't think there is much that needs to be done.”

He added:

"It just depended on the person who made the decision to start during the safety car period. As a result, this time Max Verstappen fell in his direction instead of the other way. It's sour for Lewis, but that's the way it went. Apparently he can't live with that and it drives him crazy."

It has been reported that the Mercedes driver will only make a decision about his F1 future after the FIA concludes its final investigation into the final-lap incident in Abu Dhabi.

Michael Bleekemolen on how Max Verstappen would have reacted in a similar situation

Verstappen has a reputation for being ruthless and aggressive on the track. While the final-lap drama of the season finale went the way of the Dutchman who won his maiden world title, there have been several incidents in the 2021 season where Red Bull's Verstappen made his stance on matters he disagreed with aggressively clear.

While discussing Hamilton's silence over the last few months, Bleekemolen felt the Red Bull driver would have reacted differently in a similar situation:

"I don't think Max would have reacted that way anyway. He would once have shouted that they are a bunch of assholes at the FIA and then it would have been over as far as he was concerned."