Lewis Hamilton accused of ‘attention-seeking’ and Mercedes ‘don’t have him under control’ | F1 | Sport

Former Red Bull test driver Robert Doornbos has claimed that Lewis Hamilton’s social media silence in the wake of last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was an attention-seeking ploy. The Mercedes man disappeared from the public eye for almost two months after he was cruelly denied last year’s Drivers’ Championship title in a controversial late twist to the tale.

Max Verstappen was bizarrely allowed to close up to Hamilton under the safety car before clinching the honours with a last-gasp overtake at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.

The Dutchman reaped the rewards of the FIA’s decision to instruct only the five lapped cars between himself and his Mercedes rival to un-lap themselves ahead of the one-lap shootout that followed.

Hamilton was left aggrieved by the way the situation was handled and opted to stay quiet on social media in the immediate aftermath of the race.

He failed to break his silence on any platform until the beginning of February as rumours began to swirl over whether he would decide to walk away from F1 as a result of what happened in Abu Dhabi.

Doornbos has since laid into Hamilton by suggesting that he was merely seeking attention with his post-season antics, which did little to aid Mercedes’ preparations for the new campaign.

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“Mercedes took a long time to reveal everything,” wrote Doornbos in an article for Top Gear.

“They have just come out of a winter break where Hamilton has been taking it easy. I don’t know if that is a good preparation for the team and I find it all a bit unsettling.

“They don’t really have Hamilton under control. As a team you want to be able to control where and when your driver is somewhere, but I don’t think this is very professional.

“It doesn’t take anything away from his skills, and he is and will remain a legend. I am certainly happy that he is back, but the way he is doing it is a form of bringing attention to himself.”

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Doornbos went on to suggest that Hamilton may find himself in a three-way scrap for this year’s Drivers’ Championship title following the arrival of George Russell at Mercedes.

The 24-year-old has signed a long-term deal to partner Hamilton at the Silver Arrows and has established himself as one of the grid’s most talented young drivers over the last few years.

“With Hamilton returning in 2022, we will have part two of Lewis versus Max,” added Doornbos.

“George Russell could also play a role in this. I expect Russell to be a regular winner of the day. He’s a super talent that only comes along once every few years.

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“Over the whole season I think Hamilton knows how to do it just a little bit better, but Russell will regularly take points away from Lewis.”

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Hamilton will exact revenge on Verstappen by pipping the Dutchman to this year’s honours over the coming months.

The Brit was in action for Mercedes at pre-season testing on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of next month’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.