24/01/2022
NEWS STORY
The 2022 Formula One season promises to deliver the biggest shake-up the sport has ever seen in terms of adjustments to the cars that are ultimately designed to level the playing fields.
In essence, the entire industry should be abuzz with excitement and anticipation at what 2022 could present. But instead, the attention is on Lewis Hamilton, who has gone underground in protest at how the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ended. It is a situation that is becoming increasingly draining for everyone and doesn't show any sign of letting up. It appears that when Hamilton throws his toys out the cot, they stay thrown.
The burning question is where the 36-year-old Englishman will be on the weekend of the 20th of March. Could he decide to put aside his grievances and pitch up in Bahrain for the season's opener? Will he opt for a weekend in Monaco with his bulldog Roscoe as they focus on submitting their tax records for the year? Or will he instead head to the Cheltenham Festival for the running of the Gold Cup? It's entirely plausible given how close the horse betting odds are for the iconic event and also how rare it is to see current favourite A Plus Tard run live in the flesh. It is well documented that this event attracts the world's A-list celebrities, so don't rule it out.
On a more serious note, the bottom line is that we don't know where the Stevenage-born driver will be on the opening weekend of the season. But what we can say for certain is that Hamilton and Mercedes's current plan of action is unacceptable.
{twittert=https://twitter.com/SkySportsF1/status/1480604568945897476}
Indeed, it has been strongly suggested that the pair have laid down an ultimatum to the FIA which is centred around them pledging to continue in the sport on the proviso that the current FIA race director, Michael Masi, stands down. It's an impossible ultimatum given that should it be met, there would be serious questions needed to be answered about Mercedes' sway in the sport.
In other words, there is no healthy outcome for the sport of F1 should a team and driver be successful in their ousting of a key figure in the industry. But let's say that they stand down or the rumours which have been reported by the likes of Sky Sports turn out to be misleading, there are still huge concerns over the way that Mercedes have conducted themselves since Abu Dhabi.
{twittert=https://twitter.com/F1/status/1470061591844507649}
In particular, not pitching up to the celebrated and respected end-of-year awards in Paris makes the 2021 constructors' champions look petulant and volatile. It would be remiss not to say that their gripe is of course a reasonable one given the lack of precedent towards the end of the last race of the season where Max Verstappen would capitalize on a ruling and go on to win the championship. However, in many ways, that is the lottery of a safety car in the sport and no one could have predicted that Nicholas Latifi would crash with five laps to go. Significantly, Hamilton has also benefited many times from this eventuality over the course of his distinguished career.
Keep in mind too that Verstappen recorded 10 victories, 10 pole positions, and a record 18 podiums in 2021 which comfortably puts him at the top of the driving stats. Another way of interpreting this data is to understand that he was far and away the best driver of the season and a very deserving champion.
With this being the case, Mercedes's behaviour does leave a bad taste in your mouth, and ironically, for all their protesting at the spirit of the fair play being broken, they are showing a glaring lack of graciousness.