The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix held in December last year saw Lewis Hamilton lose the championship to rival Max Verstappen in the final moments of the season under controversial circumstances. Following a period of media silence throughout the winter break as the seven-time champion relaxed and prepared for the coming season, Hamilton has spoken of how the controversial end affected him.

When asked how he spent his time over the winter in the wake of his title defence, Hamilton spoke candidly of his time spent with family and out of the public eye.

“It was obviously a difficult time for me to be honest,” he said to MotorLat and other selected media. “The support that you gave at the end of the year was just incredible and I’m forever grateful to all of you, so thank you.

“For me, I really just unplugged, switched off. I think firstly, on one side I deserve to be able to switch off at the end of the year anyway. I had my family around me, it was actually a rare occasion where we were absolutely all together, and [I] just focused on being present with them. 

“Obviously I took time to digest what had happened, which I think is still difficult to fully understand,” he  continued. “I put my focus into training and getting healthy and enjoying the time off, because it goes quickly.”

Hamilton went on to dispel the rumours which circulated of his intention to retire following the events in Abu Dhabi and reaffirmed his love for the sport, but admitting he had lost some faith in the system.

“I honestly haven’t [considered retiring]. Of course I think, at the end of seasons, the question is are you willing to commit the time, the effort, that it takes to be a world champion. I think a lot of people underestimate what it takes to be a world champion.

“There are so many moving parts, it’s not just turning up and driving the car,” explained Hamilton. “The question is do you want to sacrifice the time? Do you believe you can continue to punch at the weight you’re punching? That’s a normal mental process for me, but of course this one was compounded by a significant factor.

“I think ultimately a sport that I’ve loved my whole life, there was a moment that I’ve obviously lost a little bit of faith within the system.”

When asked what it would take to restore his faith in the system within Formula, Hamilton said “trust can be lost in the blink of an eye or the click of a finger, but to earn trust, it’s something that is built over a long long period of time."

Reflecting on Abu Dhabi as a whole, Hamilton says he wishes to put the situation behind him having replayed it in his mind. When quizzed on the FIA’s report on their investigation, Hamilton admits he is yet to have read it.

“Of course it replayed in my mind quite a lot in the weeks after the race,"  he admitted. “I don’t remember what I said to Max [Verstappen], it’s all a bit of a blur. I’ve not revisited it, I don’t particularly want to go backwards, I want to look forwards.”

Later Hamilton added:

“I’m excited to see the results from that report and hopefully everyone will get to see it, to have a better understanding of everything. I think ultimately, like everything, it’s about understanding where we’ve been to move forward in a positive light.”

Hamilton also touched on the removal of Micheal Masi from his position of race director, a move which has been heavily suggested since his handling of the closing laps in Abu Dhabi.

“Whilst we can’t change the past and nothing will ever really be able to change how it felt at the time and how I feel about the situation, it’s good to see that the FIA are taking steps to make improvements. I think accountability is key.”

Looking forwards rather than backwards was a key point Hamilton touched on repeatedly throughout his answers, and fittingly so with Formula 1 entering a new era with radically different design philosophies and technical regulations. With Mercedes unveiling their W13 for 2022 earlier today, Hamilton commented on the vast differences between the new spec cars and those we have seen since the beginning of the turbo hybrid era.

“I have driven the simulator,” confirmed Hamilton. “The car is so different from any other car I’ve driven in the past in terms of the aero balance and how it shifts the mechanical balance and how it shifts. [It has] a low rear, it’s a much different machine to drive. It’s going to require a lot of finesse, a lot of work to find how to set it up with the new tools we have.”