Prost On Hamilton: It’s 50-50 If He Will Continue In F1…The Result Of The Investigation Will Determine

Rumour around the future of Lewis Hamilton’s potential retirement from Formula 1 are growing louder, despite speculation that race director Michael Masi is set to stand down after his role in the controversial ending to the season.

Former F1 driver Alain Prost has had his say on whether he thinks Hamilton will carry on racing, expressing that he could understand why the Mercedes star could retire.

“It’s hard to put yourself in his shoes,” Prost told French outlet Le Journal du Dimanche.

“He surely has as many reasons to stop as to continue. It’s 50-50. He’s taken a big mental blow, but it would be really sad if he wasn’t here next season.”

Despite this, Prost remains hopeful that Hamilton will see the coming season as a chance to be in the heart of an exciting title challenge.

“I want to stay optimistic because there is this eighth title to go and this new technical regulation, with maybe three teams at the top and four or five drivers vying for the title,” Prost added.

“That’s a challenge Hamilton might want to take on.”
One of the main reasons why the British driver would want to leave the sport stems from the outcome of last season’s final race, with Max Verstappen winning the championship on the back of a controversial decision to call for a safety car.

Considering the fact that the FIA have announced that they will conduct a full investigation into the closing laps in Abu Dhabi, which saw Hamilton miss out on the title, there is a chance that the Mercedes driver is awaiting to see their findings before deciding on his future.

Prost joins many F1 fans in remaining hopeful for Hamilton to stay on and challenge in next season’s F1 campaign, but his silence on social media has caused some to try and work out what his next step will be.

Either way, the seven-time champion will not take a decision to leave the sport lightly, as he is one championship away from overtaking Michael Schumacher and having the most titles in F1 history.