Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton has finally broken his silence

For the first time since the 2021 Formula 1 season finale, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has addressed the public.

In the aftermath of the 2021 Formula 1 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, which saw seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton lose the lead — and what would have been a record-breaking eighth world championship — on the final lap after a controversial restart, the Mercedes driver was interviewed by Sky Sports.

But since that interview, the 37-year-old Briton has remained silent.

Throughout the winter, his most recent social media posts continued to be the pictures he shared after qualifying on the front row alongside eventual race winner and world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull the day before.

Hamilton was believed to have returned to social media earlier this week, when the Silver Arrows shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo which celebrated the Chinese New Year. Hamilton was featured in this video, along with new teammate George Russell.

However, it was later revealed that this video was recorded before the 2021 season ended.

But just days after the confusion, Hamilton has officially made his return to social media, announcing it in a six-word tweet.

Since the season finale, there has long been speculation that Hamilton, despite the fact that he signed a new deal with Mercedes to continue driving through the 2023 season, could walk away from Formula 1 before the 2022 season, given how the end of the 2021 season has handled.

While this post gives us no insight into Hamilton’s plans for the 2022 season, we are getting to the point where a final decision is going to need to be made sooner rather than later, and this is surely indicative that we shouldn’t be in the dark for much longer.

Perhaps Hamilton — and maybe even Mercedes — already know the answer.

The 2022 Formula 1 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 20 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit. Preseason testing is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, February 23 to Friday, February 25 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and then again from Thursday, March 10 to Saturday, March 12 at Bahrain International Circuit. Mercedes are set to launch their car, the W13, on Friday, February 18.