Mercedes announce Lewis Hamilton’s 16th season ... kind of

Johannesburg - After months of speculation and uncertainty, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have seemingly put paid to any talks of retirement with a two-word post on their Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon.

The Silver Arrows’ official account simply posted “Year 16” with a picture of the seven-time world champion in his new overalls for the 2022 season. Hamilton has largely kept out of the public eye since his dramatic and controversial title loss at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December last year, where he lost a record-breaking eight world drivers’ title to Dutchman Max Verstappen.

In recent weeks, the Brit has been spotted more on social media, and at Mercedes’ F1 base in Brackley in the UK, but there has been no official word as to whether he would remain in the sport after last season’s fiasco at the final race.

Year 16.