"By saying nothing, he is shifting the focus onto the FIA" - Reason for Lewis Hamilton's silence reportedly revealed

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been practically silent on social media since the nail-biting finish to the 2021 season at the Yas Marina. The race ended with his title rival Max Verstappen crossing the checkered flag after a controversial call from the FIA, which left the Mercedes garage furious.

F1 journalist Ben Hunt thinks that the Brit's silence is significant and that it was a way to pressurize the FIA to handle the matter with utmost transparency. He said:

“To use Hamilton’s words, who radioed his team on that final lap, saying ‘this race has been manipulated’. He clearly feels that by saying nothing, he is shifting the focus on to the FIA and keeping the pressure firmly on their investigation.”

The controversial end to the race was followed by days of back and forth that culminated in the Brackley-based team dropping their appeal against the Dutchman's victory. They released a statement that read, amongst other things:

“The Mercedes-AMG Petronas team will actively work with this commission to build a better Formula 1 — for every team and every fan who loves this sport as much as we do. We will hold the FIA accountable for this process and we hereby withdraw our appeal.”

Since the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12, Lewis Hamilton has made only two public appearances. Apart from his visit to the Mercedes F1 factory in Brackley to celebrate the team’s constructor’s title, the Briton was at Windsor Castle to receive his knighthood.

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Lewis Hamilton shouldn’t complain much about 2021 title, says Rosberg

Nico Rosberg also thinks that Red Bull's gamble paid off at the title decider at Yas Marina

2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg claimed that Lewis Hamilton shouldn’t complain much about the 2021 season verdict in Abu Dhabi as he also got an advantage. Rosberg was referring to Hamilton's overtake on Verstappen from outside the track limits during the initial stages of the race. He said:

“I said it was good what they [the stewards] did in the incident at the beginning of the race, but actually there I think it went Lewis’ way and he should have let him past.”

The German also commented on how Red Bull gambled, putting on the soft tires during the last few laps — a risky move that he thinks paid off in the end:

“They took a gamble, it could have gone against them, and it didn’t. They were the people out there taking the big gambles. Mercedes stayed conservative, and unfortunately for them, they got hit with a very unexpected sudden change of mind about how they were going to restart this race.”