Mercedes decipher Lewis Hamilton's post with hint over Briton's F1 future

Lewis Hamilton announced his return to social media with a post on his official Instagram account, stating "I've been gone. Now I'm back!" and Mercedes were quick to decipher his post with hint that he is indeed back and will drive for the team in 2022. The British racer's absence since the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had raised plenty of questions about his future in Formula 1.

The seven-time champion's stranglehold on the F1 Drivers' Championship was broken by Max Verstappen in controversial fashion. The events on Dec 12 at the Yas Marina Circuit saw Hamilton disappear from public view, with Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff stating that his driver was "disillusioned" with the sport.

There were suggestions that Hamilton could walk away from the sport if the FIA did not take appropriate action against race director Michael Masi, who is being blamed for Hamilton losing the 2021 world championship. The Briton, who is contracted to Mercedes until the end of the 2023 season, seems to have alleviated some of those fears with his social media post.

Hamilton's "I'm back" post was trending on social media, and Mercedes were quick to highlight it and suggest their driver was coming back. There are just over 10 days to Mercedes' W13 unveiling, with the Silver arrows team expecting both their drivers - Hamilton and George Russell - to be present and most likely put the car through its paces at the Silverstone Circuit.

Meanwhile, Hamilton's former teammate Valtteri Bottas is certain that the British racer will be on track when the first race gets underway on Mar. 20 in Bahrain. Moreover, the Finn believes Hamilton will be highly motivated to put the disappointment of 2021 behind him and push hard to reclaim the title again during the upcoming campaign.

"I think the last race of this season was a good example. I saw him many days after the race and the mood was still like at a funeral," Bottas said, as quoted on Sportskeeda.

"Even when he knows it wasn't him who lost that race and he was robbed of it, you know, it's hard to swallow it being taken away like that. But you just wait and he'll be back twice as strong as he does every time, that's who he is."