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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Daniel Moxon

Lewis Hamilton to break silence on Abu Dhabi heartbreak at Friday's Mercedes car launch

Lewis Hamilton is set to open up on the events which saw him cruelly denied a record eighth Formula 1 world title in Abu Dhabi last season.

The Brit was left fuming after leading for most of the race, only so see controversial calls from race director Michael Masi during a safety car period leave him disadvantaged.

On old, worn-out tyres, he was powerless to prevent being overtaken by Max Verstappen on fresh rubber on the final lap of a dramatic race.

Mercedes and Hamilton felt Masi had broken the rules by giving the in-race orders which led to Verstappen being right on his tail with new tyres as racing was allowed to resume for that final lap.

Lewis Hamilton will open up on Abu Dhabi and retirement rumours at Mercedes' car launch (Pool via REUTERS)

After a few words on live TV following the race, Hamilton left Abu Dhabi and was silent on social media for two month, as rumours over his potential retirement from the sport persisted.

He has now returned to the public eye and his participation in the upcoming 2022 season has been confirmed, but he is yet to address what happened in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

That is set to change, as he is expected to speak on that very subject when the car he and new team-mate George Russell will be driving in 2022 is unveiled on Friday.

Hamilton is also set to talk about those retirement rumours, perhaps giving fans a more clear idea of how long he will continue competing in F1.

Hamilton will join Toto Wolff and Russell on a live stream beamed across the globe. The broadcast will also show a first-look at the new Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance that is gearing up for the 2022 grid.

The FIA was due to reveal its findings from its investigation into what happened in Abu Dhabi when the governing body met with representatives of all 10 teams at a summit in London on Monday.

Michael Masi's position as FIA race director is on a knife-edge (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Instead, a short statement was issued which said: "The FIA president led detailed discussions of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"Feedback from the commission on matters raised will be incorporated into the president’s analysis and he will publicly present news of structural changes and action plan in the coming days."

While not confirmed, reports have claimed that Masi is set to be axed from the race director position following his role in the controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

If that happens, it has been reported that he is likely to be offered another safety role within the FIA.

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