Lewis Hamilton speaks on going away from F1 after the hectic 2021 season and spending time with his family, while not speaking to anyone.
The 2021 F1 season was a ‘so near and yet so far’ season for Mercedes’ Hamilton, where that last lap in Abu Dhabi and that overtake by Max Verstappen sent the crowd into a frenzy and crowned a new world champion albeit amid controversy for sure.
Not only a championship was missed but another world record for Hamilton was as well. But the ‘Duel in the Desert’ is done with, it’s a new dawn, a new season and a new era. But no matter what vocation people undertake in life, everyone needs time away to reflect, rest, recharge the batteries, a time to contemplate and to just relax.
And for Hamilton, that was no different. A complete break from the norm was what happened to him post a hectic end. Sometimes it is the little things in life that matter and in this instance that was exactly it as Hamilton went back to basics and where it all began.
“There wasn’t a ban [to talk of how 2021 ended], but it was definitely the last thing I would want to talk to anyone about,” said Hamilton. “Of course, I speak to my dad about those things because its something we started together. But we didn’t touch on it too often so generally more about being present, living in the moment, creating memories.
“I know sometimes in life we get do focused that we get stuck into certain things like work that we forget to do those things like work that we forget to do those things so it was a great time and just refreshing with them really. It was the best period of time I ever had with my family,” summed up Hamilton.
After such a heartbreak, it sometimes helps to really shut shop and just deal with everything other than what has just been experienced and undertaken. But of course with the 2022 season just on us now and with so much change involved, Mercedes were working towards the new campaign somewhat last season in earnest for 2022.
“I followed closely last year through the development phase but as soon as I went away I locked up completely, I generally don’t speak to anyone,” said Hamilton. “I was on/off my phone through the whole break. I was with my family.”
And there really in a nutshell what possibly makes Hamilton that bit hungrier for his eighth world championship in 2022. It is possibly a lesson for all in life that no matter how much we enjoy our jobs, everyone needs to get away and do things different for a while.
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