Mercedes give clear Lewis Hamilton 'welcome back' signal amid factory visit and end to retirement talk
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Updated 08/02/2022 at 17:47 GMT
Lewis Hamilton looks set to be on the start line for the Bahrain GP on March 20, with close observers of the 37-year-old reckoning he is coming back to the sport with more motivation than ever to win an eighth world title. Hamilton is set to make up an all-British driving team alongside George Russell, his first British team-mate in Formula 1 since Jenson Button.
Lewis Hamilton is set to once again line up against arch-rival Max Verstappen in the 2022 season
Image credit: Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton has been officially welcomed back to Formula 1 by his Mercedes team - and is being backed to deliver a 'mic drop moment' this season.
Hamilton broke his social media silence on Saturday to declare that he was 'back', but Mercedes have now gone one further to all but declare the Brit will return in their colours for the opening race of the season in Bahrain on March 20.
The 37-year-old Briton was said to be crestfallen at losing the 2021 title in heart-breaking fashion to Max Verstappen last November, but after some time away he appears to have made the decision to fight again for an eighth world title.
The BBC reported that Hamilton has been back to Mercedes' Brackley base this week to be taken through the details on their new car.
The findings of an investigation into the events of that finale in Abu Dhabi are set to be made public soon, with Hamilton - and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff - keen to see that F1's hierarchy have accepted that change needs to be made.
Hamilton hasn't given any interviews since that day, but Mercedes simulator driver Ant Davidson shared a window into what he believed his colleague would be feeling ahead of the new campaign.
Davidson said: "I can’t speak on behalf of Lewis but, as a driver, I would of course want to come back and have a proper mic drop moment.
"If there was ever a way to motivate an athlete beyond anything you can imagine, it would be what happened to him last year in Abu Dhabi.
"You’d have to say the competition might have to fear that dwelling Lewis might have gone through.
"If he can somehow harness that frustration, that disappointment and that disbelief at the end of last year and twist it into positivity for this year, we’re in for something special.
"Everyone wants to see an athlete on the rebound. It’s what will make this year such an incredible story.
"Despite having won seven world titles, it’s still unfinished business. I can’t wait to see him explode and deliver the performance of a lifetime.”
Pre-season testing is set to begin on February 23 in Barcelona, with the new regulations in place set to add another dynamic to the hotly-anticipated campaign ahead.
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