Lewis Hamilton confirms retirement stance with 'attack again' warning to Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that he never had any plans to stop short his F1 career early despite the "difficult" aftermath of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The manner in which Hamilton lost out to Max Verstappen at the Yas Marina Circuit to Max Verstappen left a sour taste in the mouths of many F1 fans and those associated with Mercedes.

Hamilton's last message on team radio at the time was that he felt the race was "manipulated" as Verstappen was crowned world champion for the first time in his career.

The British racing superstar was dignified in defeat, congratulating his rival on the championship win.

But speculation soon ran wild that Hamilton was reassessing his future in F1, with Toto Wolff even admitting his No 1 driver's return was not a given.

Hamilton's 56-day social media hiatus only added to that speculation with Michael Masi coming under intense scrutiny.

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Over the last few weeks, Mercedes appeared to confirm that Hamilton would in fact be returning to the sport.

And the seven-time world champion has opened up on the rumours about his future, insisting he's ready to fight with Verstappen at the front of the grid again.

Hamilton said: "I never said I'd stop, I love doing what I do, it's a privilege. You feel like a family.

"There's no feeling like it. It was a difficult time for me, I needed to take a step back, focusing on the present, with my family and creating great moments.

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"I decided then I'd attack again, working with Toto and George. It's exciting, I can feel the energy."

There is still a changing of the guard at Mercedes with George Russell now replacing Valtteri Bottas.

And Hamilton is excited to work alongside