With seven titles each, Schumacher and Hamilton are tied for first place, but Hamilton could overtake the German legend if he wins the 2022 crown.
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Jenson Button, who won the 2009 championship with McLaren, has backed Lewis Hamilton to win a record-breaking eighth Formula One title. Button, who retired from Formula One in 2017, believes Hamilton will continue to improve and surpass Michael Schumacher. With seven titles each, Schumacher and Hamilton are tied for first place, but Hamilton could overtake the German legend if he wins the 2022 Formula One championship.
“I really do hope he will be racing [next year], I think he will be racing,” Button said on Good Morning Britain. “You know he wants to win that eighth title and be the most decorated Formula 1 driver in F1 history. He will do that, I really do think so,” he added.
Last year’s controversial final race resulted in Verstappen denying Hamilton an eighth championship, prompting speculation that the 37-year-old would retire. “It was a controversial end to the season, but I think you’ve got to look at the season as a whole. Formula 1 is in an amazing place, two fantastic drivers going at it every weekend, and I think everyone is excited about the new season. New regulations and it’s all about the development of these cars throughout the year,” Button continued.
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Hamilton is under contract with Mercedes until the end of the 2023 season, but there have been rumours that he may leave after the contentious Abu Dhabi finale. Pre-season testing for the new season will begin in less than a month, with Mercedes set to unveil their new car on February 18.
For the time being, Toto Wolff has cautioned that the mystery surrounding Lewis Hamilton‘s possible shock retirement from Formula One would continue. The Mercedes team chief is said to have met with the FIA’s new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem last Friday to resolve the situation, while Hamilton is said to be training and resting in Colorado amid social media silence. Wolff told the Kronen Zeitung newspaper that the seven-time world champion just needs time to process how he lost the 2021 championship to Max Verstappen.
“No matter what obstacle has been put in Lewis’ way, he’s known all his life that he has to do his speaking on the track,” the Austrian said. “Mind you, it’s incredibly difficult for him until he finds the path for him between right and wrong. He just needs time. At the latest, we will meet again in February, and it will not be to drink tequila. I had enough of that in Abu Dhabi,” he added.
