Lewis Hamilton dropped a big hint to fans about his future in Formula 1 as he pounded the London streets on an early-morning run.
The Brit was up at the crack of dawn on Monday to head out for a pulse-raiser – joined by his long-time Mercedes trainer Angela Cullen.
It is the 37-year-old’s latest hint that he is not done with the sport just yet, despite persistent rumours over the last two months that he was considering quitting.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted the racer was “disillusioned” with the sport after losing out on an eighth world title in December in what he felt were unfair circumstances.
After a brief appearance in front of TV cameras after that race in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton was completely silent for more than six weeks.
Not only did he not address the speculation surrounding his future, but he made no public appearances at all as his social media pages went quiet.
That was until last week, when the Briton posted a photo of himself smiling in front of the Grand Canyon across his online platforms, alongside the simple caption: “I’ve been gone. Now I’m back!”
He has now followed that up with some footage shared on his Instagram story on Monday morning, in which he can be seen running past the London eye with long-serving ally Cullen. “Good morning London,” he wrote alongside the video, adding: “Back at it with @cullen_angela.”
Neither Hamilton nor Mercedes have made any official comment about the racer’s future, and that is likely to remain the case until after the FIA has revealed the findings of its investigation into last season’s title-decider.
One of the main driving forces behind the withdrawal of Mercedes’ official appeals in December was the FIA’s pledge to review what had happened.
Race director Michael Masi is the one in the spotlight, as Hamilton and his team believe he broke the rules in the way he operated the Safety Car which gave eventual winner Max Verstappen an unfair advantage.
The F1 governing body has pledged to reveal its findings at a meeting on February 14, while Hamilton is due to report back for pre-season testing with Mercedes nine days later in Barcelona.
While it had been suggested Hamilton would wait until the outcome of the investigation before deciding his future, his two recent social media appearances suggest he is gearing up for another season no matter what happens.
