The historic clues that offer hints of Hamilton’s next move

Will he or won’t he? Each passing day of deafening silence from Lewis Hamilton since the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix seems only to have fuelled intrigue about whether or not he will actually throw the towel in and walk away from Formula 1. But is it really conceivable that Hamilton, a seven-time champion who is arguably at the top of his game, would stick one finger up to the sport that has become his life and walk off in to the sunset?

As a man who has long talked about his greatest days being those where he has risen up from his biggest falls and come back stronger, the chances certainly appear to be quite slim. In fact, when you look at his career, the low points for him have often been the catalyst for him to reach new peaks.

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Many a time, Hamilton has never been stronger than when he has had his back against the wall, the world has been against him, and everyone expects him to simply roll over and accept a beating. You only need to rewind to last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, and the way that on Saturday morning, his and Mercedes’ title hopes appeared to be in tatters, to see that.

The British driver’s disqualification from Friday qualifying, which put him at the back of the grid for the sprint race with title rival Max Verstappen on pole, left many observers thinking that the championship fight was all but over. But his charge that afternoon, followed by an equally strong surge on Sunday (when he faced a further engine penalty grid drop) ended up producing what was perhaps his finest ever grand prix victory.

As Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott reflected shortly afterwards: “I've known Lewis a long time. I was at McLaren at the start of my career, and I knew him when he used to come aero testing with us down on runways in the freezing cold. And Lewis, when he thinks everything is against him, pulls out a blinder. I think that performance in Brazil was just unbelievable.”

The bouncebacks from adversity have been a hallmark of Hamilton’s career. There was his triumph at the 2008 British Grand Prix. After a run of poor results (including his pitlane exit gaffe in Canada) that had led some to question his championship credentials, Hamilton silenced his critics with an utterly crushing performance in the atrocious wet conditions.

Charging drive to Brazil win from effective 25-place grid penalty showed Hamilton's prowess in backs-to-the-wall situations

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Think too of the 2018 German Grand Prix when, after starting 14th on the grid because of a hydraulics problems, he came through to win on the day that is often viewed to have been the turning point in then title rival Sebastian Vettel’s career at Ferrari. Time and again in his career, digging deep in the difficult moments has unlocked an extra force within him.

This writer recalls speaking to him back in 2018 about the significance of that year’s German GP charge, and the mindset he gets himself into when he knows he needs to pull something special out of the bag.

“It is a bit like at Silverstone [in 2015] when I messed up in qualifying and Nico [Rosberg] got pole,” he said. “I went home and was distraught, but came back the next day and won. In that race, qualifying was like ‘Jeez, he is going to start on pole, how do I minimise now the loss that I am going to have now as I can’t win.’ It’s how you recover from those. That psychological preparation for me there is the most powerful.”

There is little reason for Hamilton to end his enforced silence and say anything about what took place until he know what response the FIA is making

Asked about if he felt he delivered his best when the odds were against him, he smiled: “The best was brought out of me when I started last in karting, because I didn’t have better equipment and I had to really reach and make a difference. Those are the scenarios where I feel like… I don’t know if that’s adversity or...those pressurised moments. That’s when I can do my best.”

By being in one of those moments of adversity – as he battles the disillusionment of everything that happened in Abu Dhabi – there is little reason to expect that now will be the moment he folds. Hamilton’s silence has certainly served him and Mercedes well in keeping attention on the mistakes made in Abu Dhabi. It has meant the FIA and many of the sport’s followers cannot draw a line under the events and simply move on.

By saying nothing, and prompting uncertainty from the sport’s bosses about what he will finally declare when he does finally talk, it also puts the pressure on the FIA to ensure that the action that is taken at the end of its investigation does address his concerns. There is little reason for Hamilton to end his enforced silence and say anything about what took place until he know what response the FIA is making.

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Storming away from F1 in the immediate aftermath of Abu Dhabi, citing that the sport had lost credibility and its spirit of fairness, may have appeared to be the most defiant thing possible at the time. But now things have cooled down, actually the opposite may be true.

By retaining a dignified silence, Hamilton is keeping the pressure on the FIA to produce a satisfactory explanation for the events of Abu Dhabi

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Returning with his head held high and gunning for that eighth world championship, against the backdrop of seeing last year’s title snatched for him, would speak volumes for Hamilton as a driver and character. Furthermore, he can also use his presence in the sport as a force to ensure that the FIA gets its house in order; something not possible were he to walk away.

Hamilton knows, after the handling of the last lap in Abu Dhabi, he owes the governing body nothing: so he can play everything by the book when it comes to dealing with the regulators. There is no onus on him, despite being one of F1’s superstars, to do the FIA any favours outside of what is demanded and contracted of him in the regulations.

By nibbling at them whenever they want something from him, it can act as a constant reminder to the governing body of exactly what Hamilton truly felt after Abu Dhabi. And amid all that, were he to go on and claim that eighth title, it would without doubt prove the ultimate point that you can turn suffering into success.

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Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images