Lewis Hamilton has been tipped to leave Formula 1 for a career in Tinseltown to put some distance between himself and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
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Mercedes boss hopes ‘deprived’ Lewis Hamilton will keep racing
Jacques Villeneuve took Lewis Hamilton’s radio silence on his future in Formula 1 to mean he was seriously considering retiring from the sport and embarking on a second career in show business.
Hamilton, 37, is said to still be furious over how he lost the drivers’ title to Max Verstappen at the end of last season and is awaiting the outcome of an investigation into events at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
If he is not satisfied with the FIA’s findings and actions at the end of this investigation, the Briton could well decide that his time dominating the sport is over and seek a new challenge.
Villeneuve believes a new career could be found across the pond, where Hamilton – who will join George Russell at Mercedes next season – has a number of friends and contacts in Hollywood due to his fame.
The 1997 World Champion said he believed the Brit wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as the Austrian had “suffered a lot of damage to his image”.
Lewis Hamilton could decide to leave F1 after the dramatic end to 2021
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Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
“My interpretation of Hamilton’s silence is that he wants to put some distance between himself and Wolff,” Villeneuve told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“After all, you can lose in style while Toto acted like someone playing Monopoly. The moment he loses [he] throws the whole board in the air.
“As a result, in my opinion, Wolff suffered a great deal of damage to his image. Hamilton is sensitive because he’s thinking about his future in America, maybe even in Hollywood.”
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Hamilton has two years left on the contract he signed earlier last season but Wolff has already admitted he could step down from that contract.
It would be a similar move to Nico Rosberg’s in 2016 when the German abruptly departed after winning the title, leaving Mercedes to look for a replacement.
Regardless of what the Briton thinks about the outcome of the FIA investigation, Villeneuve said he believes Hamilton could be convinced to stay if he gets another highly competitive car.
Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve backed Hamilton for a career in Hollywood
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Getty Images)
“It depends on the car Mercedes will give Hamilton whether he can easily win with it or not,” added the Canadian.
“Lewis is also a bit more tired, he had that [some] easy seasons after Nico Rosberg’s departure and he really won’t want another year like last season.
“He thought he could easily win a record eighth title and that didn’t happen. It’s like a diamond that you hold in your hands and then suddenly it’s taken out of your hands.
“It hurt a lot more that way than if Verstappen had just led the whole race.”
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