Lewis Hamilton Responds to Being Hailed a Hero in the Face of Abu Dhabi Defeat: “Something Told Me I Had to Get Up”

For Lewis Hamilton, a race that was on track to conclude in a radio message “Get in there Lewis,” culminated in “this is getting manipulated, man.” Abu Dhabi 2021, where the unprecedented eighth world title was in touching distance for the Brit; left him with a scar that arguably marked the lowest moment of his career.

F1 is a dog-eat-dog competition where emotions can get the best of any individual behind the car’s wheel. As the checkered flag dropped in the middle-east, Max Verstappen ended Hamilton’s title ambitions and earned the status of the number 1 driver on the grid.

No one really knows what the emotions were under the helmet inscribed with “Still We Rise” at that moment. However, once the helmet was off, Lewis Hamilton walked up to the Dutch driver with his head held high to congratulate him on a maiden world title. In an interview, the Briton shared how he kept himself together amidst adversity.

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The 37-year-old said, “In that moment, my world collapsed. I couldn’t compute quite what had happened, I couldn’t compute the emotions that I was feeling, what was happening inside of me was very hard to bear. But something told me, I had to get up, you know it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get up. It’s always how you get up.”

Painting a painful picture, he added, “So I use all my might to get out the car, and then I know that there’s kids like me, when I was 8 years old watching or younger or slightly older and the steps that I take there, are gonna hopefully possibly impact how they go about the things that they do,” he added.

Lewis Hamilton smiles through the pain

The aftermath of biting the dust in the season finale was a two-month hiatus from all social media platforms for the seven-time world champion. Lewis Hamilton took the time off to focus on the small things in life that bring him joy and happiness to recover from a heart-wrenching memory.

After 16 years in F1, the Englishman has 103 victories to his name, making it second nature for him to stand on the top step of the podium. Nevertheless, even though the Mercedes ace had to settle for the second best, his emotions did not get the best of him.

Lewis Hamilton concluded the interview by adding, “So yeah, I’m grateful for that moment, and I was really surprised at how it was received. But it was genuine. I’m a racer at heart, and what we are doing as racers out there is nothing, nothing we can do to control what the powers that be, do, so yeah.”

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In 2022, he returned to the grid, claiming that the best of him is yet to come, but has failed to clinch a race win after 13 races in the season. Although he is P6 in the standing with 146 points to his name, Lewis Hamilton has found his voice with his recent run of form in the championship.

With 9 races remaining in the season, do you think we can see another Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen battle in 2022? Let us know.