What’s behind fresh Lewis Hamilton 2022 F1 rumours amid FIA stand-off

The silence on Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 future has been deafening since Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described him as “disillusioned” in the wake of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix controversy.
It appears Hamilton is genuinely yet to make a decision on returning to Formula 1 this year pending the outcome of the FIA’s review of events in the 2021 season finale, where Hamilton was denied an eighth title by the FIA’s handling of a controversial late safety car.
And the obvious conclusion is that Mercedes feels pressure needs to be kept on the FIA, which is yet to follow up its words with meaningful action. As speculation increases around if Hamilton will race in 2022, Scott Mitchell explains what’s going on behind the scenes, and what needs to happen next
#F12022 #LewisHamilton #F1news
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[@thomasvrielink299]

I understand that most of the focus is on the egregious safety car incident at Abu Dhabi, but what needs to be pointed out is that that was not the only awful FIA decision this season. Look at the track limit chaos at the start of the season, especially in Bahrain, the lenient penalty for causing a very dangerous crash at Silverstone, Spa, Gasly getting penalized for being sandwiched, Tsunoda getting a harsh penalty for what looked like a late but under control overtake on Stroll who just steered in as if he wasn't there, Max not getting penalized in Brazil, the utter chaos in Saudi Arabia, Lewis being allowed to cut the corner and stay ahead in Abu Dhabi... That's just what I can remember, I'm sure there was way more. If there's one thing Lewis and Max fans can agree on, it's that FIA has been shambolic this season and that something needs to change.

[@77Raffi77]

I fully agree. The recency bias some people have is crazy. There were tons of ludicrous decisions throughout the entire season that proved that something needs to change.

[@itzseffery8020]

Lewis fans don’t think that way. They dont agree Lewis was just as wrong as max in some instances. Lol

[@thebarcaboardroom406]

Ppl forgot abu dhabi wasn't the only race

[@darrellhigley4523]

Toto needs to stop, Lewis needs to decide if he is going to be a Champion, or if he is going to be remembered as the driver who quits because a call did not go his way...not taking into account all the times the questionable calls benefited him...

[@Firebolt1729]

The FIA was just terrible this season, there’s no sugarcoating it.

[@bakker071]

The silence is deafening? I think leaving Twitter and Instagram is the best New Years resolution there is.

[@get2dachoppa249]

Truth!

[@standdbyme]

Hahaha the F1 Twitter really makes one suffocate.

[@apocalypse94]

Agreed, such a shitshow.

[@tinimuzel7043]

Sure is

[@Firebolt1729]

F1 Twitter has become more toxic than poison. The comment sections on KZbin these days is not that much better either.

[@lolschrauber]

He's just fishing for attention, everyone should realize this. It's what he does. Of course he won't quit. His ego (and Wolff's) is too big to not try to strive for this 8th title. The only issue is that they are used to free wins and the new rules might make that difficult. Had he won the 8th title, he would've retired 100%

[@curiousuranus810]

I've been watching F1 for 5 decades and I can't remember when the FIA weren't a joke - they make Russia's anti doping agency look like a paragon of probity.

[@sirskullington9213]

The Schumacher/Ferrari years were beyond comical! It’s a shame cos max obvs had a great season, is a great driver, but anyone watching those last few laps would be astounded at how they behaved. Shame that Max’s championship is tainted by it.

[@lindawalker1924]

Here, here, Curious. I started getting into F1 seven years ago by watching w a close friend who’s a lifelong fan, and as a multi-sport nut myself, I was keen to not just learn but fully appreciate the rules, practices, strategies, and nuances of F1. I’d grill my friend , “why this” and “why now” and “why not when the McLaren did the same thing on Lap 5 of this race”…and it soon became apparent to me that, while my friend has super-knowledge and his understanding runs deep, no one can ‘explain’ the near-ARBITRARINESS of stewards’ and racing directors’ decisions in any given race nor across races which occurs with soul-crushing consistency, year-over-year in F1. It’s broken. Needs fixing.

[@mediascapes2011]

agreed, Ham wake up, it not all diamond glittering world

[@thebarcaboardroom406]

@@sirskullington9213 when ppl look back on this season they will see max had the most wins, poles, and more laps lead than every other driver. Nothing is tainted

[@davebrochu]

Probity. Great new word I learned today, cheers!

[@briandouglas5552]

Does anyone remember the "deafening silence" last year concerning Hamilton's contract with Mercedes and how that "might indicate" a rift between the two parties? I'm not buying the retirement rumors.

[@captainrogerdodger144]

no one should

[@jayshedden3202]

No nor me this is a bloody show and trying to get people sacked! It's actually turning me off F1

[@Firebolt1729]

It’s the media creating a mountain out of a molehill as usual.

[@FunzR32]

I think Hamilton is more scared of George and what his speed will be this year than what happened last year as it diminishes his chances even more, and he's now just staying quiet to draw clout and attention. I for one don't care if Hamilton retires or not. George and everyone else are more deserving all the way. They need to cut comms of team principals and race directors, worst decision ever made. Shut up Toto, go smash some more headsets. Also shut up Horner, need a straw for sucking up to race director?

[@Robobongo88]

@@Firebolt1729 100% normal people who want to make their passion for f1 a job but fastooning bs to sell. Anyone who actually knows the drivers knows Lewis doesn't mingle or socialise with other drivers, a loner by all definitions

[@Le_Floffy_A92]

as controversial as it might be, I don't think Hamilton would quit like that. the way I see it, he would compete in 2022 and then retire at the end of season, regardless of an 8th title or not

[@1MoreWin]

If he has plans to retire next year, he may as well do it now. It’ll forever highlight the manipulated controversial ending of abu Dubai that cheated him out of a record 8th title.

[@rajathkoushik6373]

If he retires after 2022 without winning another title might as well retire now, and with this big of a regulation change i don't see mercedes being the best and russel will also be teammate, I am not saying he will be challenging lewis from the get go but he will not be as easy as bottas

[@janorajmond]

I can understand his disappointment however, at this point it just seems like he's throwing a tantrum so the attention is still on him, despite not winning the WDC. And what do you know, it is working. He has been the main talking point for the last two months, even more than if he would have won his 8th title!

[@alvidean22]

@ Rajmond Jánó Hamilton said nothing. Not one word. So where’s the tantrum? 🙄

[@davidelliott5843]

Competing in 2022 with intention of retiring is a plan to fail. If Hamilton is that upset he should go now.

[@tonyjones3246]

The whole season needs to be reviewed not just the last race. Many questionable decisions made.

[@adamb2619]

They need consistent stewards at every single race.

[@suckieduckie]

I get that the last race can leave a sour taste for some, but in all honesty if it's true the teams agreed that they wanted the race to end under green flags and if we still had Charlie Whiting we would've had the same result. Charlie would've gotten the lapped cars out of the way and the track cleared faster, I'm sure of that.

[@camf7522]

@Privacy Is Everything the teams have always pushed for a racing final lap after a safety car, unless it doesn’t suit them!

[@Firebolt1729]

Disagree

[@01AceAlpha]

@Privacy Is Everything this is exactly correct!

[@GrayCatbird1]

There’s a key difference between Senna’s and Hamilton’s response. Senna was outspoken about feeling wronged. Hamilton has said.. literally nothing.

[@dane458]

Because he'd just be hated for anything he had to say. I agree with his approach.

[@micahkiyimba8641]

Senna actually had a case in 89..Hamilton cost himself the title and he knows it

[@TheTororist]

becuase he gets the shut up and drive treatment no other driver gets when he opens his mouth.

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

@@TheTororist "no other driver gets" lmao

[@andrewcharlton4053]

Look at how much media attention he's getting by saying nothing... Why would he say anything

[@schamackop]

I always like to think back to the start of the hybrid-era when nikki lauda said that Mercedes started working on the new Engine 2 years before the other Teams even knew about the upcoming change - and yet i always hear Mercedes crying about decisions by the FIA when they are not in their favor....

[@armymanal]

Do you have a link to that

[@dalemason9886]

For sure -how many calls or non calls benefitted merc over the last 2-3 seasons? basically all of them

[@guanweihe7614]

2007* They worked on the hybrid since 2007 and I suppose the V6 since 2012

[@was6transam01]

Like when the FIA let them have a secret tire test or let them keep DAS the whole season while making other teams change their cars mid season.

[@mrpempi]

Fake sport. Engineers are the REAL champions

[@kityhawk2000]

Masi has been making blunders since he got the job in 2020. He doesn't need to go because of Abu Dhabi, he's needs to go because Abu Dhabi was just the tip of the iceberg

[@arnoldmbuthia2687]

Abu Dhabi was more like the tipping point.

[@evilformerlys4704]

Abu Dhabi is final straw and probably the worst outright blatant infringement of rules to make a short term dramatic ending. The race should have ended after the first decision to not let any cars through and the track was cleared of the crash but, here comes the changes and infringement of their own rules by only moving the cars between the two leaders and not the rest who were lapped? Yeah, that was just nonsense in plain sight. Just reading the rules will point out Masi had no authority of choose who gets to unlap, it's all or none. There was no connecting between rule 13 and 15 which the stewards were claiming Masi had power to do. FiA is going to cover up their crap as usual and not fix anything, similar to police investigating themselves for wrongdoing. Absolute power, corrupts absolutely. This entire season of ridiculous drama caused by weird penalty calls and lack there of, allowing egregious driving, forcing others off the track multiple races gets by with wrist slaps, of it wasn't for the safety systems in these cars Max would be laid up in a hospital bed because he's the cause of most of his own crashes. Aggressive is one thing, but he drives as if others should give him the right of way regardless of they were already there. Will FiA address this foolishness? FIA still hasn't even addressed the ridiculous money gap between teams and only does targeted rule changes to hamper powerful teams. They need to do better to let teams with within a budget they all can meet and let them build the best they can within the budget. No team can use external funding for anything, it must all be done via the race team and their own funding as stipulated by the governing board. To keep costs within reason and competition on the track would be closer and let driver skill come more into balance as the technology of the car themselves literally puts one or two teams way ahead and the rest can only get crumbs that the leading might brush off the table. I fully expect FiA to do like corrupt organizations to, never admit fault. Remove Masi, say some BS PR fluff about fairness and yada, while accepting money from donors who want the status quo to go back to how it was. They don't want everyone to get into F1, screw that why would they. It wouldn't be the exclusive club anymore. Humans, especially the easily influenced by affluence enjoy being able to look down on others. Expecting change from FiA, is like expecting a leopard to change its spots...

[@ananthu8534]

yeah for most of the season he was favouring Hamilton and Mercedes . at Abudhabi decisions went in favour of RedBull . Fia needs to think about the inconsistency in stewarding .

[@Gl-my8fw]

But this is a pathetic joke. If he quits it isnt their fault he is just being a delusional baby like usual

[@yoeriw7099]

@@evilformerlys4704 dude the first decision they should have made that race was to punish Lewis for moving under braking into turn 6 and subsequently cutting the corner to stay ahead. Go watch Jolyon Palmer's analysis, he does a good job of breaking it down.

[@fkez0510]

The man's just having some time to himself away from F1 and the rest of the world, can't blame him honestly

[@tommyssanderson]

Amen to this

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@tommyssanderson hi Tom. How are you today?

[@purwantiallan5089]

MaFIA always the one to blame.

[@lilnotmaster6094]

Him and Mazepin got the most critism off track

[@pato10111]

He's definitely purposely trying to make a point but I don't blame him.

[@charlesjmouse]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not a Hamilton fan, but just maybe on this subject he's behaving like a grown adult and choosing to keep his mouth shut and his head down in a difficult situation. Unlike the overwhelming majority it would seem. As my mother would say "If you have nothing good to say, say nothing and rise above it all." For that I applaud him.

[@TheTruthHz]

Absolutely 100% If only a few more people thought that these days. Unfortunately the social media era has "taught" everyone they MUST have an opinion in order to be "relevant", irrespective of how ignorant that opinion may be. I think many feel that Hamilton's silence on the subject speaks volumes about his character. And I too admire him for that.

[@QwoaX]

Is it just me or does Toto look like his super villain arc just started wearing that turtleneck?

[@ismannen567]

Darth Wolff?

[@bhendrikabel]

He took the blue pill

[@Secular.Hedonist]

I like it: the fame is afoot!

[@qinisok6982]

The Senna and Prost incident was particularly interesting.

[@swimdeep189]

The Senna incident was also fixed against him as Ferrari lobbied to get the Pole Position dirty track to clean track changed.Enzo Ferrari was a fraud.

[@michaelkitchin9665]

Yeah, the grid position thing at Suzuka was all hearsay and conjecture. Looking back at the 1988 start, Senna was legitimately slower to react.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@swimdeep189 yes. Enzo Ferrari, Michael Masi, and Alain Prost all are fraud.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@michaelkitchin9665 hi Michael.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044 what happened in 1988?

[@mikatkinson6066]

Hamilton doesn't have to do anything at present, it's for the FIA to explain how they are going to change any rules and how infringements will be evaluated and penalties allocated. Only when that is done does Hamilton have to decide whether that provides a basis for him to continue. If the FIA want him back they will finish the enquiry and implement changes in time for the new season, if they don't want him back they will postpone any action as long as they like.

[@bryan-nz]

It's more likely the media is spinning this into a big deal because there is apparently nothing else to talk about. When Hamilton finally speaks he'll probably say something like: "I was just having a break.. I don't know what they were on about".

[@ominousg2]

I was just having a break, man.*

[@Vaidulis]

It shows how little you understand about FIA and F1 politics.

[@f.o.8547]

@@Vaidulis 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@KieranBond]

I guarantee he will use the exact line quoted in this vid, my silence says everything you need to know Senna was his hero after all

[@Samuel-p17]

1989 was a far bigger scandal than this season. It's not comparable.

[@Majigitajog]

THIIIIIIS. 32 years ago but somehow forgotten haha

[@suuuuuuuu124]

And funny thing is that it happened the next year as well😂

[@Euclides287]

I disagree. Senna would still be 2nd in the standings with one race to go if he keeps that win.

[@RaptorV1USA]

In both instances the FIA intervened and or made changes or decisions that favored one driver..so yeah there are similarities...

[@alanjm1234]

I can't see Lewis keeping Mercedes in the dark this close to the season. If he was leaving, they'd know, and there would be a replacement organised.

[@JSB-IZ-ME]

Exactly its tactical

[@lucee2261]

Probably true but you can't blame him for being quiet after the manner in which he was robbed blind. Imagine putting all that effort in, only to see a relatively new upstart purposely throw a spanner in the works & deprive him of the world championship.

[@factsuniverse851]

@@alaska2026 you realize that the word "nothing", in that phrase/Shakespeare play title, means vagina.....?

[@JSB-IZ-ME]

@@lucee2261 yes Masi is definitely a new upstart thats for sure 🤔

[@sultankosmitov6293]

@@lucee2261 "Robbed?" lol, FiA has been inconsistent throughout the whole season but if Lewis can blame anyone for his loss, it can only be his own team. They told him to stay out twice.

[@randy4903]

When the Hamilton retirement rumors first popped up last month, I was pretty dismissive, thinking Toto was trying to hype up the drama. At this point though, I really don't know what to think.

[@idontexist1681]

Hear me out, he wants a pay rise and he tries to strengthen his hand with the rumours. He was earning a crazy amount of money this year and he will take a big pay cut for next year. This guy refused a pay cut in the middle of the pandemic, of course he is all in for cash

[@kabosumamadoge1818]

@@idontexist1681 He was earning close to $60M while Merc's team budget is at $145M. Russel will do the same job for $1M. Lewis' will regret walking away if he actually did.

[@albert_gyorgy]

@@kabosumamadoge1818 145 million doesn't include the payment of the drivers, they spent around 400 million before the budget cap. And Russell got paid 1 million last season, I'm pretty sure Mercedes will pay him more.

[@kabosumamadoge1818]

@@albert_gyorgy i'm just pointing out the % of Lewis's salary compared to the team's budget. This is Lewis' loss if he walks out now.

[@SpeculativeConjecture]

Being widely exaggerated by Motorsport media during a slow news month. Don't buy into to it.

[@myturkishlife1777]

Knowing what Hamilton is like I think he will return absolutely full on focused and ready to prove a point ... See you all in march 👍👍

[@Lanse1984]

I think Hamilton should retire and turn into a drag queen because at this point he is the drama queen

[@miller.b.1399]

@@Lanse1984 I feel like the sport would be better without merc because anytime they're losing they try to find a way to bitch and complain so they can win again

[@jallakk]

@@miller.b.1399 Try to understand the situation if it had happened to you.

[@malcolmachille8216]

@@miller.b.1399 you must have blinkers on. So RB don’t whinge and moan. They didn’t stop whinging all year.

[@Sidewinder1999]

Yep, the big sook loves the attention way too much to give this up. He will show up in Bahrain in his gender neutral clothes, bravely "breaking down barriers".

[@adamjones6252]

The thing is, I reckon Lewis thought he was 10 minutes from announcing his retirement as an 8 times WDC and then it all went wrong. And now he's kind of trapped.

[@Cavi587]

I don't think that's the case given his three year extension of the mercedes contract.

[@Jimbob24191]

@@Cavi587 Don't forget that Rosberg still had 2 years left on his Merc contract when he retired, which he had signed during the very season he won the championship and retired.

[@elnoodel666]

In my opinion, I think you couldn't be more correct with that statement. 👍

[@Cavi587]

@@Jimbob24191 True, but that's kind of a different story I think. It's likely he'd been pressured to do so after fighting Lewis back. Of course it's only speculation on my part, but still, I think it's a different case.

[@ToneRetroGaming]

His brother already explained during a stream his big bro took a social media break to avoid toxicity following the end of the season. No more, no less. He will 100 percent race in 2022 no way he walks away.

[@Wingbar]

his brother also said that he didnt really know what lewis was up to, since he didnt want to speak about it to anyone really, apart from his parents. only him and possibly his parents and a few people at merc know how he is truly feeling. although what you are saying is the most likely situation

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

I like how Lewis has a mental breakdown and complains about toxicity, while Latifi gets literal death threats...

[@chriskaye1997]

Lewis helps spread toxicity on social media, he is a divisive figure and runs away when he gets blowback.

[@chriskaye1997]

Max is 100 times more like Senna than Lewis will ever be.

[@DeLaCroix1211]

@@chriskaye1997 Yeah because Hamilton doesn't try crash people off on purpose

[@franciscocabrera4769]

Michael Masi after the last lap of Abu Dhabi: "are you not entertained?"

[@KoalaTMM]

No no I was not granted I am a lewis fan but I was annoyed about everything that happened

[@wizzyno1566]

@@KoalaTMM nothing tastes better than Hamilton Fanboy tears.

[@_.aviralsingh._]

@@wizzyno1566 I mean bro 7 years of dominance, other fanboys cried like a bitch, so its alright 🤭🤣

[@Blue_Pumpkin]

@@wizzyno1566enjoy being delusional

[@atharvakate5165]

@@_.aviralsingh._ 😂😂😂 that guy won't speak further now

[@michael5091]

F1 has had serious issues with its governance for as long as I can remember - as demonstrated by the Senna/Prost/Balestre incidents in the late 80's and Schumachers many points of controversy in the 90's (94 finale in particular). So this is nothing new. The main issues are (as always) politics. There's far too much money and influence in F1 for it to be adjudicated fairly. You can clearly see this demonstrated by the indecisive and often measured decisions taken by Masi this season. A perfect example of this is the inconsequential time penalty applied to Verstappen after the Saudi GP. What is the point in retrospectively punishing a driver with a penalty that has no effect on the outcome of the race? Not to mention the fact they swept the whole 'brake test' accusation under the carpet. It's all PR and political nonsense, geared toward putting as few noses out of joint as possible. If governed correctly, punishments should be meted out by letter of the law. Not on and ad hoc basis that's 'open to interpretation'. There were so many cases of this in 2022 its almost laughable. F1 needs to seriously re-evaluate its refereeing/stewarding going forward. I would suggest that the rule-makers and the 'enforcers' are split in this regard. The FIA continue to write the rule book but no longer have a say in its enforcement at the race track. Allow this to be done by a referee/stewards organisation independent of the sports 'moneymen'. Hopefully this will eliminate the influence and politicking problems and lead to fair and consistent application of the rules.

[@Paul-pj5qu]

Good points. However, I think it is more case of poorly written rules that are often difficult to apply, especially when they need to be adjudicated quickly. If that isn't the main reason, it is equal to any other factor in its negative impact. I think the rules are subject to the negotiation and approval with corporate entities pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into formula 1. That results in compromised rules before they even get on the track; then they all complain about it. They need to rewrite large parts of the rule book. Another factor is that the cars are just too damn big so it makes all of the racing and all of the passing opportunities very close for comfort. The wheelbase of a 2022 formula 1 car is almost as long as the elongated 2021 Rolls-Royce Phantom. It's asinine. My point here is that this results in more issues that have to be adjudicated because of contact and running off the track etc. It's a joke. It might be okay to make the cars as huge as they are if the tracks didn't stay as narrow as they are.

[@michael5091]

@@Paul-pj5qu can't say I disagree on that point. The rule book could definately do with a revision. I think Martin Brindle and a couple of other pundits called for it at points during last season, especially in regards to rules over track limits and their exemptions at certain tracks. I still think however the biggest problem is that the FIA are enforcing their own rules. Meaning when a mistake is made as it was in Abu Dhabi they are judging their own mistake (marking their own homework). If F1 adopted a similar (however greatly improved) system to the UFC/Boxing; where the sport writes and agrees the rules and an athletic commission is responsible for policing them. This would allow the FIA to evaluate sporting disputes between stewards and the teams/drivers in a more impartial manner. They'd have no loyalty toward their own. I do agree the cars are too big and too heavy however this is only really apparent at certain circuits. Most notably at the older more historical track such as Monaco, Imola etc. The size and weight of the cars shouldn't affect the chances of great racing. If you don't believe me watch the Australian V8 supercars series. Massive hulking behemoths of machines and it's probably the most entertaining racing around.

[@arturama8581]

Some good points, some contradictive. You state: punishments should be meted out by letter of the law", but at the same time you say: "What is the point in retrospectively punishing a driver with a penalty that has no effect on the outcome of the race?". Either you punish to the letter of the law or not. Doesn't matter then what the effect is. But everyone knows that's not true. If it was, we'd have no need for judges. Computer can 'learn' the law and apply it. What it can't do is take circumstances into account. Back to F1, let's say driver A is constantly nagging driver B, till the point driver B snaps and runs driver A off the tarmac. Is driver B solely responsible? According to the letter of the law he is. But it wouldn't be fair. There's a difference between the letter of the law and justice. So, the problem is that rules and laws have to be interpreted. That's where the trouble begins. But there is no other solution. It's the same in every juror sports. From McEnroe's "The ball was in" or referee decisions in boxing to extremes like Olympic diving, figure skating and gymnastics, where every 'judge' is biased one way or the other. In the end the judge or referee decides and that's it. Should be no quarrel about it anymore, unless it's so obviously wrong, that faul play is suspected by almost everyone.

[@michael5091]

@@arturama8581 I think my point around that is, the rules aren't fit for purpose. I still don't think the penalty was applied correctly in this instance. By letter of the law; if max was found guilty of brake checking lewis he could have faced disqualification from the race. Or at the very least a much sterner penalty. Of course, someone always needs to 'interpret' the rules. However allowing the same organisation to be both judge, jury (and even defendant in some cases) is not in the institute of fairness. The race stewards need to be able to be held accountable for their mistakes by a body other than the organisation that employs them. Edit - no matter what way you look at it the current system doesn't work and needs to change. The point I was trying to make is that the punishments meted out by the stewards should be applied in full, irregardless of how it may or may not effect the race/championship. Also each race should be treated as entirely separate to any other. The stewards shouldn't act leniently or more stern depending on outcomes/incidents from previous races. That's what the driver penalty points are for. Which in my view also need to be tightened up. Its too easy for drivers to manipulate and avoid a race ban. Should be 3 strikes within so many races and your out, banned for the next GP.

[@dalemason9886]

Leave it to F1 to make some simple as complex and as political as possibly. Nascar resolved the end of race cautions years ago with the overtime rule which is proven to work, same applies for realigning cars for a restart-something so simple and effective F1 will never even consider it

[@ImRivendill]

He won't retire, not in 2022 atleast, Hamilton is stronger than that. It's off season, no shit we don't hear anything. Making mountains out of molehills

[@luuduonghy659]

His age will be issue

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

To be clear, Mercedes is refuting the claims that they're calling for Masi and co's resignation to my understanding. I will not and cannot confirm for myself however so take everything you hear with a pinch of salt I guess?

[@Xiphactinus]

Ah, so the only claims not worth refuting...

[@pantrofl]

You definitely should take everything Mercedes says with a pinch of salt. 👍

[@jordza2k11]

Only refuted because it would expose their whiny nature

[@Dischingo]

Well you don't bite the hand that feeds you. I bet if Mercedes really "went to war" with the Fia there is a good chance Mercedes won't be 8 time WCC and Hamilton won't be a 7 time WDC.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@Xiphactinus hi PhoenixGT3. R u hyped for 2022 Clash?

[@kdrewmorris]

I wish Ayrton Senna were around these days, I feel like he would be a grand and influential voice of fairness and the FIA, teams, and fans alike would respect his perspective.

[@TRIBE_OF_DOM_YAYAH_NEGRO]

Senna🏎🙏🏿Exactly🎯 I think Michael Schumacher comments would be also appreciated

[@biglez6766]

No disrespect to Senna, he was a hugely talented guy but ultimate fairness wasn’t exactly what he was know for. He had a very “im coming through or we crash” attitude and on top of that he purposely caused a few. Of course it’s just rumours but apparently while at McLaren Honda would deliver the engines with some saying “only for ayrton” on the box, which again doesn’t exactly scream fairness.

[@collegemail1664]

v true

[@aeroflopper]

@@biglez6766 "special for Ayton" Prost always wanted to know if they we're special, was they more powerful

[@kwl189]

@@aeroflopper given the lack of stringent standards back then I would say it’s not looking good for Mclaren or Senna.

[@Theoriginalramjammer]

“The silence is deafening”. So let all the pundits recycle old clips and fill it with speculation..

[@davidmashishi2080]

Big money energy 💪

[@FREIXENEMET]

Severity of what happened? This channel is completely bias in favor of Hamilton.

[@MrRhatsie]

This channel has always been the temple of British bias xD

[@nicholastotoro7721]

It's not just Hamilton, most YT outlets are very British-centric. The Sky broadcast here in the US spends more time on Norris and Russell running mid-pack than they do on cars in the top-five. British drivers, British teams and the language used (this very video is a perfect example) is shameless. You'd think Checo raced in one race this year (Mexico) and that was it. Not passing any moral judgment or anything like that, just saying it's a very obvious thing.

[@mabdinur85]

I think from a PR point of view the Mercedes side is doing the right move ... possibly learned and implemented the Senna/ Prost script. Hamilton doesn't have to make a statement and his silence is ensuring that it doesn't become a he said they said public discourse that ultimately plays to the FIA's hand. Heck they were salivating at the opportunity to fine him for skipping the gala; so the FIA wants him to speak to entrap him into a position or to have him walk it back for them or for him to say a Senna like thing where they then can control the narrative. Let the FIA wriggle/ squirm it's way out of it themselves and explain to the world why them breaking their own rules is the new norm in F1, or why ad-hoc spec changes are brought in that miraculously harms the top team with the low rake concept; an entire rule change to reduce downforce for low rake cars; does that make sense and the wheels still blew up this season. I actually think there is an element of match fixing/ rigging happening and the FIA cannot be entrusted to investigate themselves because they're involved. I don't say this lightly but I think authorities have to get involved like the FBI did with FIFA's corruption case and hosting bid bribery allegations. That was such a breach of protocol that it seemed like it was an order from higher up ... Masi is not a fool to say Eiffel 2020 had all cars unlap and on this occasion at Abu Dhabi some cars unlap; it was manipulated man; with money changing hands. Cayman Island accounts of FIA heads need to be looked for ... this was match rigging.

[@pgcfriend]

My husband reminded me that Jean Todd was the Ferrari team principal long ago. That explains why Ferrari got a slap on the wrist without revealing their illegal actions in 2019 while they crushed Racing Point. Yep fixing of race results & driver/team standings.

[@darthgzuz]

honestly it just felt like i was watching WWE or fixed Cricket match, so much disappointed in this management. Messy Masi is like a child with remote control who is always changing channels because its exciting for him. And i still dont know why Checho car was retired when he was racing "like an animal" just few laps ago. Even he himself was amazed as to why i am being pulled out. I can imagine FIA asking RB "okay here is an option, we can either go to red flag and all drivers get free tyer change and we do a standing start or you pullout your second car and Max can have a shot for driver's championship"

[@shaggydoggs]

@@darthgzuz checo was about to break down, so if Latifi didn’t crash then checo breaks down and causes a safety car and would have been much quicker to clear and Masi wouldn’t have needed to break the rules

[@AsToNlele]

No way he leaves, he wants his 8th title

[@jeremiahbachmann3901]

If the AMG isn't as dominate as it has been, he will leave. He only wants to win. He doesn't have the skill to do so without the fastest car.

[@fgamer1235]

@@jeremiahbachmann3901 clearly haven't seen his rookie years

[@lesblase3667]

@@jeremiahbachmann3901 what a hater 😂 can you make it anymore obvious?

[@kabosumamadoge1818]

@@fgamer1235 He was on a WDC winning car in his rookie year in '07. Guy never drove a non-winning car all his f1 life. It's you who has not seen his rookie years.

[@daevtunes8561]

@@jeremiahbachmann3901 lmao clown

[@goodmorningkay]

Mercedes and Lewis's plan to get eyes off of Max's champions victory is definitely working

[@angelbangtana9885]

thats certainly a possibility. its a reasonable point of view, im not sure its THAT cynical though

[@teemeaux3830]

Pretty easy considering it was a gift

[@goodmorningkay]

@@angelbangtana9885 whelp I'm a cynic ;D Also don't take my "take" wrong, I'm completely neutral in this situation, and I think that the FiA needs to speak up, seeing how quiet they've been

[@AudreyH48]

I still feel that if they would have left the lapped cars alone and had Lewis won the championship, no one would have questioned anything like this and Red Bull/Verstappen wouldn't have had any real complaints as they took the gamble knowing that was a gamble. Mercedes drove an excellent race and had it in hand no issue there. Yeah that was a wildly unfair call by those in charge.

[@DeathToTheDictators]

No, there would've been huge outrage for Masi's inexplicable delay in letting the lapped cars unlap themselves (thus, unfairly handing Lewis the victory)....i mean, Alonso even asked on the radio why they weren't letting them unlap themselves? Masi then called for the last lap green flag to fix his own mistake (though, letting only 5 cars finally unlap themselves before the green was also a mistake, though technically within the rules). The whole thing was just a mess.

[@robt8620]

A very clever tactic .. If Hamilton retires, There will be those stating how he was mistreated and could have gone on to win mutliple more titles his image is intact as "almost" unbeatable..We must forget that 2021 was probably his biggest and hardest challenge yet more so than rosberg, he must be thinking another 23 races in 2022 will be hard.If he is on the grid in March ( and we assume he will be, Mercedes would need to know) then he may be given a little preferential treatment in any future track incident ? I have been watching F1 for about 30 years now and Hamilton does have a lot in common with Schumacher , both great drivers both annoying personalities. He is certainly no Mika

[@Chyeahokay]

I think life would go on rather quickly if Lewis left. And him threatening to leave if he doesn’t get his way his not how you conduct business. Mercedes already have George risk to replace him and keep the British fan base. And after 3 races life would go back to normal....

[@obieWanmotivation]

Hilarious

[@rael1999]

Yeah I'm sure if you'd have been sat in that seat having worked for 53 laps to put 12 secs and 5 cars between you and your competition with 5 laps left and some nob took all that away from you you'd just shrug your shoulders and say that's life ! You wouldn't be pissed at all would you ?

[@Chyeahokay]

I’m not talking about the race. I agree I could nderstand his frustration. But he is arguably the greatest of all time. So he should act like. you think this behavior is alright? Two wrongs don’t make a right

[@rael1999]

@@Chyeahokay ...What behaviour ? He hasn't actually said much or do you know something we don't ? I would think it was quite normal to question the sport in your head after that farce and wonder whether it was worth all the hassle continuing. On the whole I think Hamilton has acted a lot better than many others would have in his position.

[@rfbass5046]

F1 has lost a lot of integrity and if the FIA doesn’t realize that...well…I understand Lewis position. If it was me, the question would be ‘what would make me come back’ and that would require quite the answer. As a fan I had no issue with whoever won the last race fair and square. If that race had to end under the safety car then so be it. If it had to restart after a red flag then so be it, if it had to restart with all lapped cars unlapped or no lapped no cars unlapped then so be it…but to set it up where you unlapped only the cars between Lewis and Max! Then you’re ‘fixing’ the end of the race!. I’m not yet sure if I can watch the first race of 2022! The integrity is lost ! Ah mean am I watching WWE? The FIA have to fix this! Max won the race because Masi fixed it in the end and the fact that Max raced good for the entire season does make this a legitimate championship ! Lewis races just as good - I dear say better! Because of the deficit he climbed out of in the last four races. They were equal on points! This 2021 will always be an illegitimate championship to me.

[@spyda-r3580]

I couldn’t of said it any better… the people that says he’s crying have never had anything of great importance stolen from right under their nose.. a lot of people don’t realize it’s also a difference of millions of dollars and sponsorships that was loss due to what happened

[@pgcfriend]

I've watched F1 since 2015. I began to distrust F1 in 2019 when Racing Point had an illegal car and was severely punished including a huge fine that the team couldn't afford as such and had constructor points deducted. Ferrari had an illegal car also. When reporters suspected this they changed the car and you could immediately see the reduced car performance at the next race. Ferrari only got a fine the team could afford and the FIA never revealed the illegal action they took. Now I'm convinced that Vettel didn't have the same car as LeClerc so they could support the new up and coming star. The hot mess of the current race director has been something to behold. I told my husband I doubt I will be watching if he continues. I also told him that I would feel like I was watching a staged performance like WWE.

[@rogerioit]

Agreed, I feel the season has some sort of an asterisk. FIA ruined what could, at least was, an amazing season.

[@jimmytung]

I agree with you except for Lewis is better bc of the last four races, Max would have won easily without the utter Mercedes's strategies in Sliverstone and Hungary. The Mercede had taken most of the advantage when it came to FIA decision.

[@SaintKimbo]

F1 has NEVER had any integrity, it's always been a political shit show, and I've been watching it and reading about it since I was a boy in the mid Sixties. Hamilton is just a spoilt Sook, with a way over rated sense of his own importance. He cannot deal with the simple fact that he's a victim of his own success, NO ONE wants to see any Individual or Team dominate ANY sport for long periods, people naturally start rooting for the underdog or hoping that the 'Top Dog' crumbles. The FIA knows this, that's why they have tried to peg the Mercedes back a bit recently, they've done it forever, but Lewis seems he has some divine right to the Title, and is taking it personally, he needs to give everybody a break and quit, because he's just making himself more unpopular than he already is, with this attitude.

[@ashishagrawal1406]

You want the FIA to prove to Hamilton? Hang on, they don't give a damn about proving anything to Hamilton. There are at least 15 drivers not in F1 who can come replace him at any time, and people will forget about it after 2 race weekends. A driver should not have the power to 'bully' the FIA into doing something by a retirement threat. If your not satisfied, leave. There are plenty more who want that seat. Yes, there needs to be an investigation, and changes need to be made. But that is for the betterment of the sport and for every driver, team and fan. The reason to investigate and change how things are done should not be because "Ooh if we don't do it Sir Lewis will retire".

[@johnking8176]

He's the biggest star of F1, so can't just be "replaced" by another driver who's achieved nothing 🤣🤦‍♂️

[@ashishagrawal1406]

@@johnking8176Stars are always replaced at some point, they can't be stars forever. And, how do you expect a driver to achieve F1 heights if they don't even have the opportunity to get a seat? I am not saying someone will come in and achieve what Lewis has, but there are plenty of drivers out there who deserve an F1 seat. Oscar Piastri dominated F2 and yet doesn't have an F1 seat. Every seat in F1 is valuable, if he doesn't want it he's free to leave. It's not like we'll have to continue F1 with 19 drivers.

[@Samuel-p17]

They're just trying to put pressure on the FIA. i'd be surprised, if he actually thinks about retirement.

[@salmanazam9444]

Could very well be. I mean, he has won 7 championships and over a 100 different races. All that doesn't come to a person who is not MENTALLY STRONG. Lewis is, and this is not a major blow to him in my opinion. I think he is surely in it for atleast 1 more run at the 8th title.

[@Samuel-p17]

@@salmanazam9444 nobody can dominate a sport like this, if he runs away after one thing not going his way. People like him use things like that to fuel their anger and to become even more dominant.

[@Adman-p4j]

Exactly. They're using his 'potential' departure as a weapon for change.

[@Firebolt1729]

True

[@thainguyen8244]

If that is what they are doing, then that is the definition of "ransom" or "extortion"

[@oogkauwgum5123]

In my opinion it was a brilliant and brave decision to make them race that last lap. Mercedes should ask themselves: what if , under the same circumstances, Max wouldn’t have passed, or Stayed in front. They would have been fine with the whole thing. There would have been no appeals or protests, which makes their whole story a bit…well, you name it. I call it sore losers. Red Bull was given a last, not so big, chance, and they took it. They had to pass a 7 time champion, not a Haas or a Williams.

[@richardhove1483]

If the Mercedes and Redbull positions were reversed would your opinion still be the same?

[@HGRAP1]

@@richardhove1483 yes

[@wicked3212]

The best part about this is his silence. Now I don’t have to hear a rich guy complain about the injustices. He didn’t lose the championship in one race. He had multiple screw up’s of his own doing through the season and got away with a lot of crap by the same governing bodies he is now crying about.

[@aztronomy7457]

Lol if you saw him at the store or in a parking lot you'd run up like a little girl screaming and ask for his autograph and take a picture of him and post it on social media.

[@eddiebeatz8146]

I rekon hamilton wanted to get number 8 and retire there and then as an 8 time world champion and now he’s like fuck I’ve gotta go for a whole new year with no idea how strong we are 😂😂

[@santi3991]

This is what you get with a company that's more interested in ratings and celebrities rather than the racing itself and a clown as a race director, the whole season was a prime example of how not to handle races and how to be incredibly inconsistent to the point that teams and drivers don't know what will be enforced or not.

[@SilverfoxThe]

Aside from the decisions and controversy, David Coulthard summed it up in his book: drivers don't lose their speed, they lose the need. If Hamilton has lost the need he might just retire. Many other great drivers have done worse. As a Hamilton fan, I'll be disappointed not to get to see a rematch between himself and Verstappen.

[@ApurvJyotirmay]

Yes, can't wait to see Max being put into his place. That driver couldn't win the championship without his teammate or FIA. Wonderful champion

[@glynemartin]

@@ApurvJyotirmay if Ferrari has a competitive unit Leclerc will put Max in his place...not to worry

[@StringerBellz]

@@ApurvJyotirmay stop crying mate. It's called Teammate for a reason. Whoever won the title deserved to win it, end of. None of the drivers make the rules or dish out penalties. Yes Max benefited from the FIAs incompetence. If Lewis had won the championship, Max fans would point at FIA decisions that benefited Lewis and so on. The FIA is the issue here, not the drivers.

[@chipped]

@@ApurvJyotirmay Championship is decided over a season, not one race. Verstappen had more DNF’s than Hamilton and was still equal on points. He had the better season and the victory was deserved and earned.

[@Cheedee]

It would be crazy if he leaves, but I would also totally get it.

[@Firebolt1729]

Anybody that seriously thinks Lewis is going to retire is kidding themselves.

[@mediascapes2011]

lets hope he is clever enough to quit

[@jaythekid4728]

Nah if I were him I would stay silent show up for testing and not answer any questions regarding the race and focus on out performing everyone. I bet he’s in the factory right now combing through data giving and receiving inputs and advice from the engineers about the car. Working with Russel (cuz he’s been silent too) on how to maximize both of them in teamwork so Russel can back him up for the fight ahead.

[@johanssan]

Sorry but, the decisions to change car regulations to slow down a certain team have happened in the past as well.

[@Fujiwara.Takumi1]

Exactly. Early 00s during Ferrari n Schumi's dominance they did just that

[@elanamariew]

Judging from what I've heard here, it sounds a lot like Mercedes trying to force the FIA to make the changes it wants. I understand that Hamilton is upset and in the same position I would be as well. At the end of the day the FIA has unilateral control over what occurs on track and in technical regulations, the teams are welcome to complain, and the FIA may make changes in line with what the teams want but it's the FIA's sport not Ferrari, Mercedes, or Red Bull's etc. If the FIA finds that Masi acted incorrectly, he should be fired, but that decision needs to be made at their own discretion, rather than at Mercedes demand.

[@ZaydEdits]

Mercedes aren’t calling for Masi or the other director to be sacked, resign or other. You’ve heard wrong

[@SUNTZUAcademy]

Funnily enough, the thing Mercedes claims to want is what would hurt them more. If penalties were more consistent and more severe to discourage unfair racing Hamilton with his antics would drop even further back. He wouldn't get away as lightly as he did with his corner cutting, pushing people off track and overtaking by spinning people out.

[@oxfordsparky]

@@SUNTZUAcademy you seem confused, LH was driving the black car not the blue car, I know the colours are similar but the big red and yellow logo is the giveaway for me.

[@dragonkrieg4444]

@@SUNTZUAcademy hmmm. Imola. Spain. Monza, twice. Brazil. Jeddah. are you colorblind or something?

[@TipOfAfrica0010]

@@SUNTZUAcademy all the comments so far are fair, wise and thought out until we got to yours. Clearly you are either colour blind or just confused

[@thebarcaboardroom406]

Everyone is only making a big deal out of it because it's hamilton. Drivers like vettel don't even have social media and no one cares what there up to

[@Optimus-Prime-Rib]

Yeah your wrong

[@thebarcaboardroom406]

@@Optimus-Prime-Rib wrong about what? The world's not going to end just because hamilton doesn't post his morning jog on his story or send "good vibes" to his followers

[@LordWay]

I fully expect to see him at the first race Merc would have to find a new driver last minute otherwise. They will know if he is racing next season already.

[@Cavi587]

That's what reserve drivers are for.

[@Jimbob24191]

Whose to say they don't already have one in place but not announced?

[@LordWay]

@@Cavi587 who is the reserve at merc?

[@LordWay]

so it turns out both mercedes and mclaren have the same reserve drivers vandoorne and de vries

[@donaldtracey4541]

@@LordWay Seem's you don't believe Cavi587 . Merc reserve driver is ? Do your own investigation .

[@glubibobi]

Im not a Hamilton fanboy but I do respect his abilities although at times he seem like to much of a drama queen. I was happy to see Max win because given the circumstances of the race he and RedBull did everything they could to put themselves in a position to strike. However, the way the race was handled was beyond messy and I fully support what Mercedes and Lewis are doing in trying to make tangible changes in the rules that make them more clear cut and hopefully easier to enforce consistently. Regardless of who benefited from some of the major controversies of the season, they race director and stewards have been a joke this season.

[@phoenixfront]

How is Lewis a drama queen he has said literally nothing since he literally got a drivers championship stolen from himself? Edit: not a Lewis or Max fan just not blind

[@lukyboi_4450]

@@phoenixfront brug moment

[@phoenixfront]

@@lukyboi_4450 brug indeed

[@sanketn651]

@@phoenixfront "Dangerous Driving"

[@phoenixfront]

@Austin's Sounds I do not understand your grammar at all.

[@knight2425]

If I was Lewis I would walk away from the sport and make it very vocal I have lost faith in the sport and the position it is in. I don’t believe he has anything else to prove and proved quite a bit this year about his talent

[@miller.b.1399]

Both merc and Lewis proved this season that they can't deal with losing.

[@yep6280]

@@miller.b.1399 And also: He cracks under pressure...how many mistakes did he make!!

[@bhendrikabel]

Good grief, what a drama. Maybe that’s why he is a sportsman and you are not. He won’t walk away when he has just lost the championship. He wants revenge.

[@minhazkhan4093]

lewis has everything to prove. For the first time, he faced a true competitor from outside and he lost :D

[@kevinkarbonik2928]

So you would be a baby like he is?

[@simonn4077]

There still seems to be confusion..... There is a difference between - Making a decision on a existing rule (that applies to everyone) e.g. - was the corner cut or not.. AND Creating a new rule for a specific scenario that can only benefit ONE person. Thats a big difference. LH didn't not win the title due to a poor decision, but because a rule was created on the fly solely with the intention to stop him winning the title.

[@liquidfiretibby]

100%. They change the rules on the fly to suit the sponsors and its bullshit!

[@n.b.5258]

So if the rule was applied more than once, like say, forcing a driver to give back a position and then applying a 5 second penalty anyway, that's okay, because its a decision on an existing rule? Do you see how that's not accurate, or are you blinded into thinking that the entire season would have come down to the last race anyway?

[@liquidfiretibby]

@@n.b.5258 max would have never been in contention for championship if the stewards hadnt changed rules to his benefit multiple times in the season

[@n.b.5258]

@@liquidfiretibby Like stiffer rear tires (benefited Mercedes), or the changes to rear wing testing (benefited Mercedes), or the reduction in grid place penalties for multiple engines (benefited Mercedes)? You mean those ones, or something else?

[@jimmiediedtoday]

@@liquidfiretibby huh...? What...? Before Hamilton torpedoed Max, max was 30odd points ahead, Hamilton cuts his lead by 25 points, bowling bottas then hampers max, Hamilton gains another 18,points to max' 2 points.. so at what point did you get the idea max should never have been in contention for the title... Dodgy decisions and underhanded tactics by Merc got Hamilton back into contention, otherwise max would've been champion few races before Abu Dhabi..

[@Jay-nk6dm]

These rumors always show up for a political reason, or to push a narrative that hamilton is a diva. every year, the rumor gets dismissed and hamilton is racing. Nobody can stand it when hamilton is quiet its actually hilarious. He's upset, but keeping out of view. He's doing team required activities, nothing more. What does he owe the fia and f1 after that debacle?

[@jamilaw7991]

i do find it really strange when ppl say that lewis whines and complains but then they get mad when he's silent too?

[@zachg8652]

Vettel's been quiet from the beginning and nobody bats an eye

[@kityhawk2000]

@@jamilaw7991 think you are misunderstanding. People don't care about what is said or not said, they only care about who is saying it or not saying it. The people moaning at Hamilton for staying quiet are the exact same people who'd moan at Hamilton for saying anything at all

[@jakedorent9450]

@@kityhawk2000 I much prefer Hamilton being quiet and reserved for once like some of the other drivers than bringing politics into the sport.

[@jamilaw7991]

@@kityhawk2000 thats what i was saying

[@GeliCarlosJ]

Im a Red Bull & Max fan but yea i agree with Merc that it needs to be sport first before entertainment and that if they are demanding Masi & the other guy out then yeah. Clearly there needs to be better and clearer rules & enforcement so seasons dont get marred by controversy and some segments of toxic fans label it with asterisks and so there needs to be fresh faces at the top. As for Hamilton i dont really think it's anything from him i think its more of Merc using his normal behavior of being more quiet and chilling during the off-season as a PR move to get more on their side and pressure FIA. I dont really think the "threat of walking away" is even real or was ever real from Lewis, probably media trying to read between lines that don't exist to kill time before testing 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@marek7641]

We have million examples of Mercedes’ and especially Lewis gained so much cuz of FIA and also cuz of Massi so now this Lewis behaviour and Mercedes’ is disgusting 🤮 and shows how fake they are and all those big words were fake. “We can’t continue then sport rules hurt us the same as other team! We as Mercedes’ won’t stand for this”

[@montyfontaine]

@@realitycheck908 silverstone.. fair enough hamilton was largely to blame, but monza, jeddah, the 1st lap at imola, brazil, spain, and more- all the time verstappen fault or lewis taking evasive action.. the fia has been a shit show all year to both drivers and needs a change

[@Zachary_McLaren]

@@realitycheck908 you really miss the point don't you. Nobody should be getting help, if you think Merc has been getting an advantage (I think you are wrong) then you should welcome the changes.

[@paulpiper9696]

Imagine Serena Williams at Wimbledon and winning the first set 6-2 then running through the second set 5-0 up and on on the verge of serving the game out and the umpire all of a sudden saying hold up let's make this interesting for the TV viewers and tells Serena that the next game decides the game and Serena has to play bare foot and with a wooden racket. Lewis dominates the race and was the better driver in the final four races of the season. He was 12.376 seconds ahead with four laps to go. Based explicitly on what Massi had directed that there was no overlapping Lewis and Mercedes rightly stayed on the older tyres whilst Red Bull made a multiple of tyre changes throughout the race - doing all they could. Then the weak, manipulated, Massi reverses his decision and allows a final lap showdown. This will go down as one of the most corrupt decisions in the history of any sport and genuine journalism, not those bowing and cowering to FIA, will one day expose the real story which I strongly suspect involved Red Bull exchanging money to Massi or other favours offered. Horner has come out of this exposing his true character and don't think people in the UK or any non Max fan will ever respect him again. His comments and demeanour the whole season have been despotic. His comments in the aftermath of the final race will be played over and over again through the passages of time and expose him for what he truly is and has always been.

[@tgamron]

That's a horrible analogy.

[@sploda9886]

Honestly I see no reason why Hamilton would not race this year. He wants his 8th title, and he’s got a contract for 2023.

[@vivant123]

I understand Mercedes wanting Massi's head for the fiasco at ADGP '21... but wanting the head of Nicolas Tombazis just cause he was responsible for the 2021 new rules (rules which I am sure all teams would have agreed upon/known about them for quite some time) reeks of entitlement...

[@Firebolt1729]

Aston Martin :

[@suckieduckie]

Exactly, and it's not like this hasn't happened before either. I didn't hear RB bitch about the hybrid era which cost them their dominance.

[@kushagraN]

I'm pretty sure Nicolas would have been fired or brought down a peg if Mercedes still won in 2021 Which it almost did till last 2 mins of ADGP.

[@tonespeaks]

@Vivant Nelly The truth is those rules were directed to slow Mercedes. I have to say, that isn't a bad thing, because Mercedes and Hamilton were too dominate. I mean Lewis had the title pretty much wrapped up at mid season... that isn't really sporting. Then again that happened when Red Bull had their run as well. To be honest F1 hasn't been run well for decades.... it is supposed to be a sport, but that has tainted by the need to make it a spectacle as well. People still don't know the details about Ferrari's rule breaking....and etc. I think they should rewrite the rule book and put the right people in the right jobs. Restructure the Refereeing, Race Director should be F1 and Steward FIA, that 2 shouldn't mix.

[@kushagraN]

@@tonespeaks well considering a lot of fia top dogs have at some point or the other worked at ferrari, the sympathy and brand loyalty is expected, as shit as it may be

[@russking7775]

Lewis Hamilton wants to continue to play with the snooker table with bigger pockets than everyone else and throws a paddy when he's not allowed

[@oldmanc2]

"The threat is worse than the execution" Old saying from Chess. Very relevant now...

[@aliakseimemelau3]

Tbh, feels mostly like a threat for Mercedes, rather than FIA and F1 management. They would go on with or without him, maybe loosing a little bit of money due to some fans leaving, that's it. A threat of Mercedes leaving would have been bigger, though.

[@arthuralford]

Not that this could happen, or would happen, but here's a "what if?" for you: Lewis is still seething over the 2021 finale. Meanwhile Roger Penske makes a phone call. "If you're not busy, want to drive an Indycar in a test?" Last time Penske offered an F1 World Champion a "test" was in 1992, with Ayrton Senna who was in contract negotiations with McLaren. It's said that the test was enough to push Ron Dennis to resign Senna out of fear he'd lose one of the most popular drivers in F1 to CART. Lewis flies down, gets fitted for a seat, and as a "rookie driver" Penske can give him a practice day that doesn't count against Indycar's testing limits. He then spends a day with the team, does as well as expected, and says nice things about the car and amazed at how the other drivers willingly share data and setups. In Paris, the FIA are trying to read the tea leaves. Is he serious? Would he leave F1, seriously? Hamilton does have a home in the States, and is there often, and he's not talking about the 2022 season. Penske is saying things like "If Lewis wants to drive Indycars, we'll make it happen." From someone with the resources to do just that, plus a long-time connection to Mercedes, it's not an idle threat. And the idea of Lewis Hamilton, the GOAT of F1, driving at Indy, getting international attention and ticket sales, is very, very appealing. So if you're the newly elected head of the FIA, what do you do? Placate Hamilton, toss Masi and a few others under the bus, and make enough changes that it looks like you are serious? Call his bluff, because you know Hamilton wants that eighth championship? Hope Mercedes gets Lewis to stay because otherwise it's George Russell and whoever is available. Again, not that this is going to happen, just a thought

[@rileydavismusic1565]

last i checked the fia isn’t supposed to make drivers happy. now the decisions made throughout the season were questionable but the fact the the people in charge need to make a driver happy shows that lewis and mercedes kind of have a special interest to the fia. and any fans who might stop following the sport because i driver retires aren’t real fans

[@Stevo_1998]

@@rileydavismusic1565 bruh Ferrari gets a yearly 'historical bonus' or whatever they wanna call it just to make sure they stay in the sport a good amount of people (apparently) watch F1 only because Ferrari is in it, and for nothing else so they get given like an extra $20mil every year to keep them in the sport, to keep the fans happy with how popular Lewis is among a lot of fans, they want to keep him in the sport as long as possible to keep raking in as much money from it as possible so it really wouldn't surprise me if they'd change stuff or do things to make a specific driver happy

[@Tw1sstedd]

For years I have wondered which members of the FIA were being paiff off by Mercedes... No one has that much luck

[@Amauvy]

One thing is certain is there's no lack of driver waiting for a place in F1

[@ttpmarr]

I feel for max he drove a brilliant season just for the fia to mix up rules to the point where drivers are confused about what happened

[@dominicfrank77]

I think Max is a dirty driver BUT I dont blame him for the last race outcome. This was just outright the most egregious example of fraud in sports I have ever seen and it was RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WORLD....no behind the scenes where we make educated guesses on what happened....this happened right in front for everyone to see and the FIA is getting away with it. I hope Lewis quits to stick it to the FIA but as a fan of Lewis as a human and as the F1 GOAT.....it would be sad to see him go.

[@evilformerlys4704]

"Mix up" that wasn't a mix up buddy. They clearly didn't follow their own rules with only moving the cars between the two leaders but not the others who were down a lap? That's not a mix up, that a deliberate decision and the rush to bring in the safety car on the very lap it came out?!? Mix up, 🤔 I don't think you understand the gravity of the decisions made by Masi and his need to let them race when by race rules the race should have ended under safety car. Mix up, not by a long shot.

[@anngo4140]

@John Raymond Garcia lol Daniel was like "ehhhhh don't wanna be in those people's shoes now"

[@paulsilas6037]

Alonso was not confused.

[@ttpmarr]

@@paulsilas6037 he’s Hamilton’s first rival so obviously he doesn’t want him to win

[@charlesmiller6281]

Hamilton should stand on principle and refuse to compete, for the simple fact that as long as the FIA is allowed to determine winners and losers there is no competition, there is no sport, but only corruption and, as Toto correctly stated, entertainment. In other words I agree with your analysis, it is the FIA that has to come to Hamilton and not the other way around.

[@pierrepaniagua]

Would there be this much noise had the roles been reversed? If Lewis would have gotten his 8th WDC and Max finished 2nd, would Lewis and Mercedes be silent or be as vocal against F1 and the FIA?

[@knight2425]

Probably would have been worse with Horner and co. How many times have we heard from that side RedBull will pull out of formula 1 if they didn’t get their way and you can be pretty sure we would have heard it all again

[@pierrepaniagua]

@@knight2425 not talking about RBR. I'm saying would the silence from Lewis and the noise from Mercedes/fans be the same had Lewis gotten his 8th? If no, then this nonsense is more about them losing than the FIAs decisions, no?

[@stefan28b]

@@pierrepaniagua totally agree with you, this is about them losing. If they won they would have forgot every mistake that have been made. Southey are sore losers.

[@keithbeardmore3474]

That's not really the point. Any manipulation of the sport must be anathema to every fan of the sport. As I sat down to watch the Abu Dhabi race wanted Hamilton to win but given the way the season had gone and Max's speed, I had to say to myself that this could go either way. Had Max won fair and square I would have been disappointed on Hamilton's behalf but you have to take your hat off to the winner on the day (I can well remember Mansell's blow out in Australia in 1986 - I have been watching / following since early childhood years in the mid 60's). I actually think Masi's calls stuffed both Max and Lewis. Max will know that he has been undeservedly advantaged and Lewis will feel that the decision purposely went against him. In that situation how can Max be truly proud to be WDC ? I feel very sorry for them both. Liberty don't care anything about that - they are only concerned with profile / news and viewing figures. The fact that fewer true F1 sport fans will be watching in the future won't matter a jot if the overall viewing figures increase (which they will because of the furore regarding the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix). Another sport ruined by the search for "entertainment" and money.

[@pierrepaniagua]

@@keithbeardmore3474 I just want to know if the same stink would be made from Lewis and Mercedes /fans had Lewis won his 8th. If it was Verstappen that was P1 in the race and lewis was P2 and was advantaged by the SC rule enforcement and ended up winning due to the tire disadvantage.

[@samleary2733]

Remember when the fia said this was just a “misunderstanding” with the fans and some of the teams? Taking their sweet time explaining what the misunderstanding was

[@JoshyStuart]

Gaslighting everyone!

[@gbarnewall1]

Tell them it’s a misunderstanding and it’ll be forgotten about in no time, Social Media : Hold my beer, the old cronies at the top of the FIA aren’t privy to the media world of today, words travels round the global instantly, you can’t say “that never happened” and force everyone to move on, but if they sack Masi they’re indirectly admitting to a big fk up by themselves or Masi, or he’ll be sacked for “other undisclosed” reasons

[@sloneonone]

In all honesty. He should retire. He was definitely cheated. By quitting it will be a black eye on the final and Max He has brought so much good attention to F1.

[@psevenson]

Toto Wolff makes it sound like they (Mercedes) are the only ones who has ever been hurt by FIA ad hoc decisions. And this after 7 straight WDC and 8 straight WCC.... I'm not convinced that Mercedes has been badly treated by the FIA.

[@DealerD8vE]

Their historical success is irrelevant. So are any whatabouteries regarding previous victims of ad hoc decisions.The key question is was their driver, deprived of the WDC by an unprecedented and rule-breaking intervention by FIA officials. The answer is emphatically yes. Hamilton happens to be one of my favourites of the moment (just talking about his driving of course). But I would've hailed Verstappen as a worthy freshfaced champ HAD he won it fair and square. Not his fault. The FIA jumped the shark all by themselves. I've been a fan since Lauda's Ferrari WDCs and have seen some pretty egregious moves. Forget 1989, the FIA turning a blind eye to Senna's vengeful punt at Suzuka the following year, was arguably worse than this years fiasco in that both drivers' lives were at stake. Then again, they would have been arbiters of a misdeed not of their making. Unlike this time. This shakes the very foundations of the sport. I'm surprised Mercedes hasn't threatened to quit - let alone Hamilton. Heck, if the FIA fails to man-up, I'm quitting the sport.

[@psevenson]

Ok. What I'm trying to say is just that all teams and drivers are sometimes victims of FIA ad hoc decisions or inconsistent rulings, to the extent that they are losing WDC and WCC points because of it. I don't see that Mercedes or Hamilton have been more victims of this than anyone else, not this season and not other seasons. Tough luck that it happened in the last race.

[@ronknox3376]

So Toto not only wants to steward the race as he tried to do in Abu Dabi (Horner did too) but now he wants to call the shots for who should be hired or fired by the FIA as well. Sport suffers greatly when the participants seize control. Indycar did and F1 will to unless teams and their principles are reminded that they are participants. While input is nice it should come when heads are cool. So what can the FIA do? Well they can point out that the inconsistencies are not all on Michael M. That much of the things mentioned here by the commenters as inconsistent or wrong are the stewards decision. Since the stewards are not the same for every race, there will be differences so start by having a full time crew of stewards and don't let the drivers and teams make changes unless due to safety during an event (COTA comes to mind). They can also point out to Mercedes that they won the constructors title. Michael M makes 1/100 or less of what Wolff and Horner make. The system may be broken but is it really on one or 2 guys that have to make high pressure decisions? In reflection, the race should have been red flagged to allow the teams to tire their cars for the final 4 or 5 laps and for all back markers to get the hell out of the way. But I don't know if the rule book allowed for that discretion for Michael M. It should have. Lewis is silent, because it puts pressure on the FIA, nothing more. He wants title 8 so he will be back. The press, especially in the U.K. want to stretch this out and make a massive deal of it. Maybe it is why I prefer IMSA and Indycar. They are not perfect but they act quickly and they are, for the most part consistent and not as political. F1 is the pinnacle for many and Toto says sport first, then entertainment but it is the entertainment part that drives the sport to be successful. It has to be both in this century to be sustainable.

[@janpluis5]

This is an excellent summary, and actually a lot more balanced than this video.

[@Al_Camino77]

Nailed it. It’s the only sport that seems to not want to expand. More teams equals more eyeballs and more money. My only issue with Indy is the whole spec thing. Would love if they had another engine supplier or two _and the option to have more than one chassis or construct their own.

[@o2benaz]

I attended the 1973 Watkins Glen GP and got hooked. Since then I’ve seen a lot of weird shit but nothing compared to Masi’s wishy washy obeisance to all the team bosses. It’s not that he doesn’t use the rules, he doesn’t even KNOW the rules. Just replace him with a pair of dice and we will see more consistency next season.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Me too although i am not getting a ticket to watch it.

[@karabolebeloe8651]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 that last remark is everything! Nice one 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@shafathm2706]

Yeh but even mercedes cannot deny they havent pushed masi since past 2 3 seasons, they are acting as holy saints who havent done anything or said anything or heard anything. Its utterly disgusting when things dont go their way they demand fia pull up their socks. Thats what is ugly from toto and mercedes and they are pushing hamilton with them.

[@bozzie_]

The aero changes were not "ad-hoc", they were agreed upon unanimously by all teams ahead of the season due to the delay of the new aero regs. This is a lot of bluster out of nothing for the first time that Mercedes didn't win both championships for the first time in the turbo hybrid era.

[@HoBBLeCooKiE]

It wasn't agreed to by all teams. Aston Martin was very vocal and tried to appeal the rule changes.

[@nialloftheninedevils]

MB admitted they had missed the implications of the aero rules changes when they were proposed. Im sure Ross Brawn absolutely knew what effect the rule change would have an who it would affect most....

[@simon8723]

Good summary. I never knew the details of the Senna/FIA saga. Looks like a standoff with the current saga though. With some of the FIAs comments even after the “admission “ of their errors, it seems half hearted, hoping it will blow over. I’m not sure I, as a long time F1 fan, will look at the sport in the same way next year.

[@F1FanCanuck]

Then don’t. The sport will move on.

[@daktus05]

@@comparecars_org kinda like 2005 with the tire rules, wasnt that targeted against specifically ferrari

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@comparecars_org yes. Toto is like normal guy sometimes. Too many faults.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@daktus05 yes. Ferrari is their main target in 2005 to 2007.

[@Sidewinder1999]

Lol, go watch something else then, the rest of us won't miss you Hamilton fan-boy sooks. I for one will enjoy looking at the big fat #1 on Max's Red Bull this year :)

[@georgik28]

Toto looks like Dr. Doofenshmirtz on the video call

[@trevorfulcher4070]

There is a sub text to what Toto Wolff has said regarding this incident and the possible fall out. IF there is no meaningful change, it is very possible Mercedes would leave as soon as it is financially viable.

[@vedantharwani9278]

That would be a huge blow to F1, because that would mean not only merc but all merc engine buyers will suffer too

[@keepthemhonest2]

When Merc is winning or number 2 in the constructors there is no way they are going to quit

[@SFO14]

@@keepthemhonest2 what incentive do they have if they think F1 and FIA are rigged?

[@keepthemhonest2]

@@SFO14 Because having the fastest or second fastest car in F1 is great publicity of them. Also they never complained when the decisions went their way - they are just public cry babies.

[@AntonGudenus]

One can only dream

[@Marcel-ct9wq]

The last race was only about 7 points , which is peanuts if you look at the other controversies this season. Points count for the WC , whole year around

[@NicotineRosberg]

I like peanuts

[@rael1999]

Two wrongs don't make a right though do they ? They just make the FIA look even bigger twats than people thought they already were !

[@PieterSteynJnr]

Don't ever mention Hamilton and Senna in the same video again. Hamilton is not worthy of even that.

[@anthonybamrick9493]

Can anyone tell me how this is different than the approximately 3000 different times Ferrari has threatened to quit if they didn't get their way? Also, I think that F1 would immediately get even better if Merc quit, imagine the competitiveness

[@oz2362]

Yeah it would be Mercedes loss tbh

[@KD-oi9sk]

@@oz2362 And Aston Martin's, Williams and McLaren's to be fair..

[@K9RacingAndStuff]

You say that like it just wouldn't be a return to late-2013.

[@Dischingo]

@@KD-oi9sk lol Mercedes powertrain makes money out of making f1 engines why would they stop that. Also they are fully owned by Daimler whereas the the f1 team has 3 equal partners in Daimler, Toto, and into.

[@maicolx7776]

Nothing to do with Senna's case! 🤣🤣🤣

[@kilotangosierra]

exactly! they are just trying to spin this drama, into something that it isnt

[@BootyT69]

Why does Toto look like a James Bond villain?

[@Djungelurban]

I'm so sick of this. Viewed in a vacuum, the Abu Dhabi thing doesn't even crack the top 10 of dumbest decision made by the driver stewards this year, not even sure it was the weirdest decision they did during that race... It's just given extra focus since it was the last lap of the last race which yes, makes it seemingly more impactful... But had Hamilton been given a drive-thru in Silverstone like he probably should have had, he wouldn't have had a shot at the title anyway... It was just a season with baffling refereeing all the way through. So changes should probably be made. But the last lap of Abu Dhabi though wasn't the most egregious by a long shot.

[@raulponce9012]

Racing incidents and battling regulations are and will always be up to interpretation because it's that is the nature of the sport and in every category there is so like incidentes in Brazil, Silverstone, Barhain and so on and I altough I belive and they can and should simplify this regs to have more fair racing, this will never completely be vanishes from the sport. However there shouldn't be an interpretation on the procedures of the safety car since it should be fair with every racer on track and should provide safety to drivers and track Marshall's, the way the FIA have acted gives them the power to basically pick and choose race winners and decide championships

[@ToriksLV]

Hamilton will return, this is just another drama for press. Correction: Mercedes just denied they demanded Massi and Tombazi to step down.

[@duderama6750]

Probably because it's a done deal. Wolff will tell any tale that suits him.

[@UnremarkableKevin]

Mercedes and Hamilton are right to feel Formula 1 has been treated like a show and not a sport. As much as I hated their dominance, it was rightfully deserved because they were the best at their sport. 1) DAS being banned with the excuse of preventing a costly development race when the cost cap was already coming into effect. 2) Changing floor regulations that were known to affect low rake cars more dramatically with the excuse of reducing down force levels because of the tires when Pirelli was already introducing new compounds. 3) The general lack of consistency in the application of the sporting regulations by the stewards. Changing the sport to improve the show is good when the change creates a level playing field. Not when you try to stop a team from essentially "winning too much".

[@MendicantBias1]

Post season F1 drama! Love it. 44 has a 2 year contract and the appeal of a new car to drive.

[@Squilliam-Fancyson]

Yeah but he gets a very competitive team mate with coming season. It's no secret that HAM did not like the signing of RUS. Thats why HAM signed his contract so late. He wanted to be sure to become 8 time wc before he has to mess around with a team mate that is up to his level or even beyond.

[@rounak471]

@@Squilliam-Fancyson how can you come up with this loads of bullshit??

[@Squilliam-Fancyson]

@@rounak471 F1 experts told me to believe this. they can not be wrong.

[@sameermohideen4913]

What result could really be satisfactory? Changing the system going forward is improvement but if Hamilton feels he’s been robbed nothing can be satisfactory apart from getting the title back. It’s unlikely but not impossible that it could become much harder with the new car. All it takes is for some other engineer/designer in a another team to have a “eureka” moment. Giving the title back would also be unfair to Max, he used what opportunities were available and didn’t have anything to do with the decisions made. There is no satisfactory outcome here. There can only be an improvement.

[@mountainbikemayhem1833]

The satisfactory result would be consistency. At nearly every race a call was made to penalize a driver for some infringement…yet another wasn’t. The driver’s complained all season about the inconsistency, from track limits to contact being called a racing incident in one case but a penalty in another. Alonso was one of the most vocal calling out the double standard…of course he was also complaining about the favoritism shown toward certain drivers. Having “guest” stewards at each race leads to that inconsistency…rather than having a full time set of stewards who call it the same every race. I’m not a Ham/Max fan or Merc/RB…I didn’t care who won the championship, but Masi’s call at the end was so bad. Hindsight, it should have been red flagged, with 2-3 laps of green to decide it all. Ultimately Ham is silent to be silent…and not show his bitterness over it all. Mercedes is looking for rules consistency, and new race director who’s big enough to handle it.

[@pgcfriend]

I’d feel better with an independent investigation. It’s obvious the FIA can’t be trusted. Otherwise this would not keep happening. If innovation, meritocracy and sportsmanship continued to be thwarted to paint a fantasyland history they want F1 will be a sideshow and not a prestigious sport they claim to be. That would be a shame.

[@merwynmoffatt6608]

Hey i wanted to know can fia after investigate rule ham as winner and give him the title?

[@shaggydoggs]

@@merwynmoffatt6608 yes but it would be unlikely, much more likely would be that they make excuses change some rules and sack Masi but even the fact that they are having an investigation is an admittance of guilt

[@merwynmoffatt6608]

@@shaggydoggs so its still not over? Cause iv read an article which said ham can still win the race but title will still be with max so i feel ots highly unlikely anything like that will happen

[@RelicHuntersWales]

Sorry, but your wrong at 3 minutes in. The fans would not be saddened to see Hamilton go, hes been disliked for almost a decade with his cry baby antics. What would be sad is to see people fired or bullied out of the sport by Hamilton and Mercedes considering theyre supposed to be fighting for diversity and equality so much

[@austriangroyper9308]

Exactly. British fans like Hamilton, but everybody else is tired of his complaining and constant virtue signaling.

[@RelicHuntersWales]

@@austriangroyper9308 dude I'm British and I don't like him lol. I'm actually an alonso fan so an outsider to all this and I think Massi did a great job of giving the fans what they wanted. Your always going to have one side upset but if massi looses his job over this, that's a disgrace

[@changbeerbeer]

8:54 just this sentence says it all really! Great content as always!

[@barrydavies998]

Yes #44 does .... Hidden agenda

[@neils1952]

Think the issue here is more around the loss of the title in such a way and that meaning Hamilton is almost forced to carry on for another season to break Schumacher's title record. I think Hamilton would have been happy to go into 2022 if he'd lost the title in a justifiable way to Verstappen (i.e. he'd have been beaten fair and square) as that would have been motivation to go harder and faster next season. Had he won the title then he'd have gone into 2022 without any pressure on him, but to feel it was stolen in such a way with the lets be honest ludicrous decision making by Michael Massey (in effect Michael Massey decided the title not Verstappen or Hamilton which is simply not right) he's almost coming into the season 2022 with a cloud over him and the bitter taste of the 2021 season fresh and smarting. I think the minimum Hamilton is going to want is Michael Massey being out of the sport (at least out of any decision making role) and i think his team will also want that, over and above that not sure what more they could do other than clarify how races are going to be managed in such a way discretion and any pragmatic application of the rules is not going to be applied (albeit that comes with its own problems). In short what happened in the last race at Abu Dhabi can't be allowed to happen again where in effect a race director has a greater influence on the outcome of a race than the drivers themselves or the rules of the sport.

[@Tokyo.blessxo]

Hamilton was never fair tho

[@michaeldavison3491]

Not a Hamilton fan but in my opinion he was totally robbed. The behavior of the officials handed the win to Verstappen in a race Hamilton dominated from start to last lap. Shame.

[@neils1952]

@@Tokyo.blessxo Your statement has no context, what do you mean?

[@neils1952]

@@michaeldavison3491 We had one of the greatest if not the greatest season of F1 racing and the lasting memory is not all the great performances by both the main protagonists and others who chipped in with special performances (lets not forget Riccardo, Ocon and Perez all won races last season and Lando got as close as you can without winning), the lasting memory is the farcical final race ending in a wholly unsatisfactory nature of the win that was witnessed. I know Max fans who feel cheated even though there man won the title that decision and outcome was so unsavory.

[@michaeldavison3491]

@@neils1952 I completely agree with everything you said, I couldn't wait for race weekend to come round. It was riveting stuff , and great to see drivers other than redbull and mercedes win races. Their celebrations were great to see no matter who you support. The rivalry between Max and Lewis was fantastic but that final lap farce can't be allowed to happen again. Max's title will always be slightly tainted unfortunately.

[@martsmarts]

The silence was and is harmonious... no whining, no complaining.

[@scottmeredith3359]

I still can't get over that ridiculous super-villian-at-a-funeral vibe from Toto in that video conference he did. Claiming the FIA is holding them hostage while he uses Lewis to hold the FIA hostage is a... uh, a bold move.

[@dianamaioru497]

What? This is just false.

[@abawerazut4336]

I hope his silence is about reconciling with himself on why he failed to defend his position just for one lap instead of seeking to find scapegoat in the FIA or the stewards. I mean, if he is a driver of the class where his fans need him to be, how can he fail on the most important mission of his job driving the fastest car in the field? We have seen Alonso holding him up for many laps even though his Reno was a tortoise compared to Hamilton's Merc. We also have seen what Peres was able to do against him with the much slower Red bull. I always felt that Hamilton at best is a lucky chocker who always found a ride on the fastest f1 cars.

[@Brettoh]

How to show you’ve watched more Drive to Survive than F1.

[@caskraker]

Exactly! He just is not that good. Not better than his car anyway. And Max IS.

[@abawerazut4336]

@@Brettoh No, I have closely followed f1and given the same situation not Senna, Schumacher, or Alonso would loose the lead as Hamilton did! And neither would Max if the positions were reversed. Passing slower cars and leading from start to finish on the fastest car doesn't make you a great racing driver, it only makes you consistent at best. The challenge is figuring out your opponents strength or weaknesses compared to yours and having the capacity to act and turn them to your advantage. Hamilton can't be compared to Senna, Schumacher, or Alonso just because he won seven times driving the fastest car in the field. At best he can be compared to Vettel and I am being generous.

[@Brettoh]

@@abawerazut4336 I’m not a Hamilton fan firstly, but you can’t have watched F1 if you can’t see Hamilton’s talent. Ever seen a wet race? I don’t remember a driver in the last 20 years who has that ability! If he’d squeezed Max on any turn, Max would have made contact and won the championship anyway - how do you defend vs that? You don’t. Senna fine, Alonso pushing it, Schumacher?! I forget the Ferrari wasn’t 2 seconds a lap quicker than the back of the pack hahah!

[@abawerazut4336]

@@Brettoh Are we talking about the same guy who infamously beached his McLaren on the entry to the pit lane in China? That was quite a talent, eh!! Have you seen the others on the wet? Check Schumacher's record in the wet and you will be surprised. After all, he was not nicknamed rain master for no reason! Alonso, pushing it?? I would have liked to see Hamilton driving Alonso's Ferrari against Vettel's Red bull and see how close he could get let alone put a challenge to the championship in 2012. Remember, he lost just by two points with 2 DNFs that season, and anyone can tell you the Ferrari he drove was a jock compared to the Red bulls. I know Schumacher's Ferrari was a second or two faster in early 2000s, but that is not where I measure him. It was when he was putting up against the fastest Williams of Mansel, Patrese, and Senna in the early 90s and the fast McLarens of Hakkinen and Coultard with the mediocre Ferrari in the late 90s. You can check those as well.

[@tocaracer8066]

i believe hamilton is a fighter and he will fight back to the FIA in many ways. I would never think that he will quit at a low point.

[@chads8267]

How is losing the 8th championship in the last race and the last lap a low point?

[@MircoWilhelm]

Now, what if mercedes started exploring the establishment of an Indycar team leaving F1 entirely ... as a threat

[@vladimirzakrevski3157]

Board would never green light the plan. 2nd place in f1 gets more global exposure than 1st in Indy. This is all about advertising $$ for the big teams.

[@MircoWilhelm]

@@vladimirzakrevski3157 it's all about enforcing a point of view. If the FIA is not believing you threaten to impact their product, they will not be willing to make changes. In turn if you can enforce the believe you actually will go though with this exploration they might see it as a viable option and try to mitigate the impact for them. Which could be making more or better concessions.

[@vladimirzakrevski3157]

@@MircoWilhelm yeah but the fia knows that any threat to switch league or class is empty. Mercedes can pull out completely since they'll save money not running the team+ r&d at the loss of advertising but switching to something like Indy just isn't a good bluff. For how much money they make vs spend and the global exposure for the brands, Ferrari, redbull and Mercedes aren't going anywhere so long as they can podium.

[@MircoWilhelm]

@@vladimirzakrevski3157 As far as I understood, they actually managed to make a profit

[@vladimirzakrevski3157]

@@MircoWilhelm exactly, they make some money despite huge expenses and get world wide brand exposure. Even if toto and ham aren't happy with the way Masi ran 2021, the board and shareholders wouldn't kill their golden goose.

[@tonysaddington2246]

The handling of the last race has put me off following F1 , such a shame to see people not following their own rules .

[@sammay8270]

No it hasn’t. Im positive of this because here you are commenting on F1 off-season videos pretending to be not following F1. You’re back in March guaranteed

[@achillespeleus2326]

@@sammay8270 lol that's exactly what I was about to say

[@idelevitch]

The fact that nothing has changed for 30 years is terrifying. Back then Balestre wanted a french champion and today the fia wants drama for netflix.

[@martoto77]

It’s all PR spin by Merc. We will get confirmation of Lewis’s involvement in F1 2022 as soon as the new cars get their first shake downs and it’s known if they’ve got a winner. If not ,then we’ll know if he is so “disillusioned” by the sport he wants to quit.

[@evilformerlys4704]

Why would they need PR spin, after you sufficiently bring forth evidence to back that up, the rest of your comment people might take into consideration.

[@martoto77]

@@evilformerlys4704 The absence of further substance to what was claimed weeks ago. And that Merc dropped their official appeal but persist in appealing to the court of public “opinion” instead.

[@MsZeeZed]

Lewis Hamilton was denied a last race lunge at an 8th title win by his strategy options being penned in by a Red Bull team fighting like hell and an unlucky safety car which was muddled by Race Director mishandling the restart procedure. The rules around formation laps, safety cars & red flags & restarts need re-writing in a consistent manner and the race director needs replacing. Hamilton’s decision to continue is his own business.

[@oxfordsparky]

The rules are perfectly clear and consistent, it was the implementation that was at fault.

[@himanshupersonal]

Somehow I feel more in agreement with Alonso to believe that there is a British bias in media about F1. Had Hamilton won the championship in the same circumstances, and Max had made the same decision as Lewis, they would be hailing FIA and even would have branded Masi as the best director the sport has seen. Finishing under the safety car or starting the race with all the back markers in between would have unsporting. What Michael Masi did was the most sporting thing I have ever seen in F1. Yes, stewards have not been consistent at all last season and it needs to change. But what happened at Abu Dhabi must be celebrated. Do not forget that Hamilton is what he is because of F1. This video and several others seem to suggest that it is the other way around

[@pimjcb9964]

Exactly.

[@ferrisabo6679]

Still have weird feelings about the last lap, Max could attack Lewis, but Sainz can't attack max because the lapped cars.. that's so not right...

[@kxngmuzikig2417]

I feel like Hamiltons competitive fire would keep him from retiring. the way he lost I feel like he would want to come back and destroy the grid, but also he could be tired of the f1 politics at his age after 14yr of being in f1

[@deathmachineyt3254]

If Merc isn't competitive (hopefully they aren't) I don't think he'll be destroying anything

[@user-eh1gc7xo7q]

@@deathmachineyt3254 I hope Mercedes isn’t competitive. I really hope McLaren, Ferrari (perhaps Renault?) can compete at the front of the field. Then we’ll see how good Hamilton is

[@PrimeDirective96]

He needs a dominant car and zero resistance from his teammate, only when these conditions are provided to him will he win.

[@deathmachineyt3254]

@@user-eh1gc7xo7q yeah I don't want Mercedes competitive either

[@thainguyen8244]

They, both Lewis and Toto, asked for competition for many dominant years, and now they finally got it. Unlike Ferrari which started strong but could never finish.

[@madputter6213]

Toto message to race director “please no safety car please” can’t have it both ways.

[@fredgodsmark9855]

Yes, there needs to be reflection on application of the rules, but there will always be interpretation under certain conditions. Hamilton quiting over this would blow over, but the FIA bowing to the demands of a driver would ripple through F1 forever and open a door that cannot be shut.

[@rjfaber1991]

Exactly. The FIA is certainly a flawed organisation, but I'd much rather have them regulate F1 to their own best judgment than to let Mercedes dictate the terms of competition. I can't help but feel that Mercedes' incredibly arrogant attitude in all this is not going to do them any favours in the public eye, even among those who agree with their version of what happened at Yas Marina.

[@Jimbob24191]

@@rjfaber1991 I follow the sport for the sport, however how the season finished wasn't sporting and that leaves a lot of people like me unsure as to whether to bother with it next season. The unsporting nature of the final event, coupled with the fact that the series is no longer the technological pinnacle that it once was makes it lose a lot of it's appeal to me. The season was a competitive master class, until it wasn't, and the fact that the sporting nature of F1 can be turned off in an instant by someone who has never sat in an F1 car sadly turns me away from it massively.