"I still believe we'll see him on the grid next year" - Karun Chandhok expects to see Lewis Hamilton race in F1 2022 season

F1 pundit Karun Chandhok has given his hot take on whether Lewis Hamilton is expected to return to the grid in 2022. The former F1 driver believes Hamilton will return next year despite his controversial loss to Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix earlier this month.

In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Karun Chandhok spoke about the loss Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff are likely feeling at the moment. Mercedes have been left with a sour taste after Max Verstappen clinched the drivers' title from the Briton due to a botched safety car restart. The analyst believes Hamilton will return next year to compete once again for a historic eighth title win. He said:

"Personally I would be very surprised if we don't see either of them [Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton] in Bahrain next year. I think Lewis, yes, he's hurt and Toto's hurt and are feeling a bit disillusioned by the sport, but I think ultimately they want to come back and chase that goal of becoming world champions for the eighth time. Certainly, Lewis does. I still believe we will see him on the grid next year."

Chandhok took the opportunity to comment on a highly unusual safety car restart at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The safety car restart resulted in Verstappen overtaking Hamilton on the last lap. He said:

"What Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff couldn't change was Nicholas Latifi having an accident before the end of the race. He had a crash and the absolutely normal procedure is to have a safety car out in that instance. That's just bad luck for Lewis. I think what they're upset about is the way the last lap unfolded where only certain cars were allowed to unlap themselves, which was highly unusual."

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Lewis Hamilton takes controversial loss like a champion

Despite leading the race from the start, Lewis Hamilton narrowly lost out to Max Verstappen due to confusion regarding safety car procedures. The Briton was, however, seen congratulating and embracing the Dutchman in parc fermé, demonstrating his championship-winning mindset even in loss.

Lewis' father Anthony was also seen greeting Max and his father Jos in the Red Bull garage.

Experts, such as David Coulthard and Nico Rosberg, share the same opinion as Karun Chandhok in that the 36-year-old will return next year, hungrier than ever, to win the title yet again. Coulthard said:

"He's already committed to another two years. He's a team person, he's committed to that team, and he'll be there next year trying to win his eighth world title."