Formula One boss confident in Hamilton: 'With even more desire'

Lewis Hamilton experienced a painful defeat in Abu Dhabi one and a half weeks ago. In the final race of the Formula 1 season he lost to Max Verstappen and had to settle for second place. There has been talk that the British driver is deliberating retirement, but Stefano Domenicali believes little of that.

The Formula 1 boss has watched Lewis Hamilton string together world title after world title in recent years, as he was the undisputed best driver for years. However, he suddenly faced resistance this season. Verstappen's Red Bull car proved capable of making things extremely difficult for his rival, and that made for some interesting battles in 2021.

The disappointment was therefore big when Hamilton lost the lead to Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. According to Mercedes, the race direction did not act correctly during the Grand Prix, and as a result there have been rumours suggesting Hamilton won't continue in Formula 1. Domenicali tells La Gazzetta dello Sport that he doesn't believe that. "I'm sure he will recharge his battery and come back with even more desire than before to win the eighth world title."

New challenges for Hamilton

Hamilton will face an additional challenge next season. Changes to the regulations mean that the drivers will have to deal with completely different cars, and he will also have George Russell replacing Valtteri Bottas as his teammate.