Two 7-time champions — and former neighbors — face uncertain future

Two seven-time champions, who happen to be former neighbors, are facing plenty of offseason uncertainty as it relates to their futures.

One of the major storylines in Formula 1 over the last month in a half has been the silence of Lewis Hamilton following the last lap of the 2021 season at Yas Marina Circuit.

After a controversial restart, Hamilton lost the lead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — and the point standings — on the 58th and final lap of the race to Max Verstappen.

Verstappen, who entered the season’s 22nd and final race tied with Hamilton on points, went on to win the race and title, despite having led only the final lap.

Hamilton’s only public comments since then came in his post-race interview with Sky Sports in the immediate aftermath of the heartbreak. He has been silent on social media since the day before the race, when he shared photos after qualifying alongside Verstappen on the front row.

There has since been quite a bit of speculation about Hamilton’s future. While he signed a contract extension last summer to keep him with Mercedes through the 2023 season, some believe that the way the 2021 season ended will lead him to retiring from Formula 1 before the 2022 season.

Nothing has been confirmed one way or the other, and preseason testing is scheduled to get underway in less than a month at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

And now Lewis Hamilton isn’t the only seven-time champion whom some fans believe we may have seen the last of, in terms of competition.

After Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, a Formula 1 fan himself, has admitted that he doesn’t know if he will be back for the 2022 NFL season.

Hamilton and Brady, both seven-time champions after winning another title in their respective 2020 seasons, also happen to be former neighbors in New York City, with the former living a floor above the latter.

Technically, Brady has already given more insight than Hamilton has; Brady has admitted he doesn’t know anything for certain, whereas for Hamilton, we don’t even know that much.

The 37-year-old Briton may very well have made up his mind, or he still might be unsure; we don’t know whether he knows anything yet or not.

Hamilton’s situation should become clearer sooner, however, with the 2022 Formula 1 season scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 20 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit. The 2022 NFL season isn’t scheduled to get underway until Thursday, September 8.

But either way, fans of both are bracing for life without these two seven-time champions in the sports which they’ve dominated throughout the modern era.