The biggest riddle many Formula One fans are yet to unravel is whether or not Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will compete in the 2022 season.
Since losing the Formula One World Championship to Max Verstappen, the seven-time world champion stayed off the public glare.
He was recently spotted at a Mercedes facility in Brackley, Northamptonshire
While Mercedes insists that Hamilton will be around for the 2022 season, there are doubts because he has not spoken on this.
Insiders say that his comeback will be determined by FIA final verdict on what happened in Abu Dhabi last year.
What Does FIA Investigation Say So Far?
The FIA has since confirmed that Red Bull boss Christian Horner and race director Michael Masi exchanged radio conversations thereby raising suspicion regarding the outcome of the Abu Dhabi final Grand Prix.
When Verstappen won the Formula One world championship two months ago, many people questioned Masi’s decision-making.
Lewis Hamilton. Photo/Daily Advent
The safety car was brought out with five circuits to go in the race after an incident involving Nicholas Latifi.
This meant that Hamilton had a commanding lead over the rest of the field, with only Red Bull’s Verstappen in third place to contend with.
Verstappen was able to reduce the gap on Hamilton after Masi instructed the lapped cars to let go of each other.
The Dutchman passed Hamilton on the final lap after switching to fresh tyres.
Michael Masi On The Hot Seat
Many people believe that Masi broke the rules and allowed the vehicles to pass because he caved in to pressure from Horner and sports director Jonathan Wheatley.
Masi and Wheatley are heard and seen discussing Red Bull’s demands. This indicates that the race director is responding to Red Bull’s requests in some way.
According to reports, Wheatley provides Masi advice about avoiding being passed by slower-moving vehicles, as Red Bull is desperate for a last-lap battle.
It is after Masi saw Wheatley’s communication that he chose to tell the five lapped vehicles to avoid one another.
An inquiry from Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff led to Masi repeating what Wheatley had said to him in the prior message.
In the video, Wheatley is heard telling Masi, “Those lapped cars; you don’t need to let them go right the way around and catch up with the back of the pack. You only need to let them go, and then we’ve got a motor race on our hands.”
Masi responds by saying “understood” and gives an order for the cars to be removed.
When Wolff protests this decision, Masi counters him saying “’Toto, it’s called a motor race, OK?”The video has received a lot of attention on social media, but it’s not a new concept. Formula One released it four days after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but it has only just become viral as a result of the hashtag #F1xed.
Radio Conversations
The FIA can hear all of Abu Dhabi’s radio conversations, thus they are aware of the footage. F1 Commission members are scheduled to meet on Monday to present the findings of their inquiry into what happened at the season’s finish.
An investigation was launched to find out how the terrible errors were made. It was reported by the BBC that people within the FIA believe Masi broke the rules in order to win the title.
According to the same source, Masi’s position as a race director is becoming less and less secure following his actions in Abu Dhabi.
Lewis Hamilton. [Indiana Express]
So why didn’t Masi tell the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen and the rest of the top six to unlap themselves?
FIA regulations further state that racing will begin “at the end of the next lap” once lapped cars have passed. If the regulations had been followed, Verstappen would not have been allowed to overtake Hamilton because it was the final lap and the race would not have been restarted because of it.
When the race was resumed by Masi, the Dutchman was able to swoop in and take the championship from Lewis Hamilton with relative ease.
After eight weeks, Hamilton took to Instagram and posted ‘I’m Back”.
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