Hamilton energized by time away to race for 8th F1 title

Lewis Hamilton took nearly two months to emotionally recover from the controversial Formula One finale that cost him a record an eighth championship

Lewis Hamilton took nearly two months to emotionally recover from the controversial Formula One finale that cost him a record eighth championship. The Mercedes driver insisted on February 18 that he never considered quitting F1 in protest.

Once he accepted the results, Hamilton put the debacle behind him and began preparation for the upcoming season.

“Moments like this might define careers, I refuse to let this define mine," Hamilton said from Mercedes' team headquarters in Brackley, England.

Hamilton dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December and was five laps away from breaking a tie with Michael Schumacher for most titles in F1 history. But a Nicholas Latifi crash brought out a caution and set in motion a frenzied sequence of events that altered the finish.

Race director Michael Masi changed his mind when deciding how to conclude the race and Max Verstappen, who had pitted for fresh tires, was lined up second behind Hamilton with all lapped traffic removed between title contenders on a restart with one lap remaining. Hamilton on old tires had little chance to defend Verstappen, who passed the British driver to win his first world title.

The FIA on February 17 announced sweeping changes to its race control procedures and removed Masi as race director following an extensive review of the season finale.

Mercedes has accepted the results of the review and Hamilton said he's ready for another run at the record book. Hamilton said he takes no issue with Verstappen and has been in contact to offer “my full support” to Latifi, who received death threats following the finale.