F1 information LIVE: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell launch Mercedes automobile alongside Toto Wolff

Lewis Hamilton will discover it troublesome to proceed in System One if his Mercedes automobile is just not aggressive subsequent season, in response to two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen.

Hamilton’s future within the sport stays doubtful following the controversial finish to final season which noticed the 37-year-old miss out on a record-breaking eighth world championship to Max Verstappen on the ultimate lap of the yr.

With Mercedes unveiling their new automobile this month forward of the primary spherical of pre-season testing, Hamilton remains to be to interrupt his silence following the tip to final marketing campaign, together with his solely quotes coming by way of a crew press launch.

It comes as System One prepares for the largest overhaul in laws since 2014 in an try to extend overtaking alternatives and cut back the gaps between the groups.

And Hakkinen believes there stays numerous “query marks” surrounding Hamilton’s future within the sport, and the competitiveness of his automobile subsequent season might be a think about his determination.

Purple Bull crew principal Christian Horner stated: “Final yr was a hell of a season – so intense from the primary race all over to that final race in Abu Dhabi.

“In some ways it solely looks like yesterday however in others it already appears like a very long time in the past.

“It’s going to go down in historical past as one of many all-time nice seasons. I can’t bear in mind a yr in System One which was so shut between the highest two drivers from the primary race to the final.

“Our problem now’s to construct on that. We now have primary on the automobile and we need to hold it on the automobile and defend that title with Max, which with a model new set of laws goes to be extremely troublesome.

Max Verstappen insists the strain is off as he prepares to open his System One championship defence.

Purple Bull grew to become F1’s first main participant to take the wraps off their new machine – the foremost of the game’s new technical period – at their Milton Keynes base on Wednesday.

Verstappen clinched final season’s championship in deeply controversial circumstances after he beat Lewis Hamilton in a one-lap shootout on the concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The deal is known to be price $100million-per-season for the subsequent 5 years – considered among the many largest business contracts in sport.

And Brawn, who has spearheaded an enormous overhaul of the game’s technical laws, says Mercedes – winners of the previous eight constructors’ championships – and Purple Bull might need taken their eyes off the ball.

Regardless of the criticisms geared toward each Masi and the likes of Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, crew bosses of Mercedes and Purple Bull respectively, Jenson Button has identified that the kind of back-and-forth discourse which made headlines towards the tip of final yr – and significantly on the Yas Marina Circuit – has at all times been a characteristic of races. However the magnitude of the event with the title going to the wire and the elevated consideration it garnered made it appear extra ominous than was actually the case.

“I believe whenever you hear that by itself you assume ‘wow that’s unhealthy, it’s like they’re manipulating the steward or director’ however it’s very totally different than that.

“Each crew speaks to Masi and places their level throughout. They at all times do and in case you pay attention earlier within the race, Toto Wolff was additionally saying ‘we don’t need a Security Automobile right here, we would like a digital one’ and issues like that.

“They’re at all times going to get their level throughout. It’s at all times been like that within the sport and possibly that must be checked and shouldn’t be like that, and that Michael Masi could make the choice on his personal.”

The fallout of the Abu Dhabi controversy from the tip of the 2021 System One season might be over quickly – together with any new modifications, personnel or in any other case, that are applied on account of the FIA’s examine.

Conclusions from the investigation have been handed to F1 chiefs and they’re on account of be made public within the coming days, together with whether or not or not race director Michael Masi will proceed in his function and any new laws round in-race contact with the particular person doing that job.

For Jenson Button, that’s one space which might positively be improved, with crew bosses holding off airing complaints and recommendations which naturally favour their very own drivers till after every Grand Prix has completed.

Michael Masi has been eliminated as System 1 race director, the FIA have confirmed.

Masi performed a decisive function within the controversy that marred the climax of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December, together with his selections finally handing the F1 world title to Max Verstappen of Purple Bull.

His name to permit chosen backmarkers to unlap themselves behind race chief Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen forward of the ultimate lap got here in for heavy criticism, significantly from Mercedes and crew principal Toto Wolff, with the game’s governing physique now confirming a change forward of the brand new marketing campaign.

Wolff stated: “Sure. completely. He’s in love with the game and we’re able to hunt for victories and hopefully the world championship. He’s in the fitting mindset.

“It was not concerning the race director, or anyone else, however about Lewis making peace with how the race ended.

“Lewis is all about justice and sporting equity and that wasn’t the case [in Abu Dhabi]. He wanted time to mirror, he comes again robust and is in good spirits.

“Crucial factor is that we transfer on. There was a lot dialogue about Abu Dhabi – and for the fitting causes as a result of how the Grand Prix ended is just not how a System One world championship ought to finish – however the FIA has put in a brand new construction and we’re completely happy about that.”

Hamilton will converse publicly for the primary time for the reason that contentious Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – and a day after Michael Masi was dropped as race director – when Mercedes launches its new automobile at Silverstone on Friday.

Hamilton stated the race at Yas Marina on December 12 was “manipulated” after Masi appeared to bend the principles to permit the British driver’s rival Max Verstappen the possibility to win the title following a late security automobile.

The 37-year-old was disillusioned following the debacle within the desert and, at one stage, it was unclear if he would return to the grid.

However chatting with BBC Radio 4, Wolff stated: “No, I used to be by no means apprehensive – though it’s important to respect the driving force is disillusioned after such an occasion. However we’ve got a powerful crew and nice help so I knew he was going to come back again.

“All of us had been disillusioned as a result of the stopwatch by no means lies and Lewis was clearly one of the best man on observe in Abu Dhabi, dominating the race, after which it’s taken away by a single particular person in opposition to all the principles so to digest that could be very troublesome.

“Like all of us, there was an preliminary shock. We now have by no means seen something like that so he needed to stroll away, and free his thoughts and take into consideration one thing else, and begin to work on these occasions and discover a answer.”