The BBC and Sky Sports News have  for theও 2022 season amid an ongoing inquiry into the hugely controversial conclusion to last year’s world championship. 

Hamilton lost the champi▨onship to Max Verstappen on the last lap of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi after FIA race director Michael Masi failed to apply the correct regulations during a late Safety Car period. 

Mercedes dropped its appeal against the result of the race after the FIA ann♌ounced it was launching a detailed inquiry into the events that unfolded✃ in Abu Dhabi. 

The governing body said it 🌜would conduct a “detailed analysis and clarification exercise” around the season finale after admitting it was “tarnishing the image of the championship”. 

According to the BBC, Mercedes withdrew its appeal after agreeing a ‘quid pro quo’ with the FIA that would see Masi and head of single-seater technical matters Nikolas Tombazis removed from their positions for the 2022 season.&🌠nbsp;

Mercedes has reportedly d𝕴enied that such a deal w♚as made. 

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described Hamilton as “disillusioned” in the wake of the events of Abu Dhabi and said he could not guarantee the Briton w♈ould return to fight for a record-breaking eighth world title this year. 

Hamilton has remained silent ever since he conducted🌟 an initial post-race interview with former McLaren 🎶teammate Jenson Button in parc ferme. 

Speculation surrounding Hamilto🅰n’s future has been rife i🌊n the weeks that have followed amid talk the seven-time world champion could take a sabbatical, or decide to walk away from F1 for good. 

"It is understood that Mercedes want to see something tangible,” Sky💛 Sports News’ Craig Slater said of the FIA's investigation. 

“It’s been put to me like this: th✤e longer this drags on then the worse the Lewis Hamilton situation is, and that is from a senior✱ source.”

The recently-turned 37-year-old is contracted to Mercedes until the end of the 2023 season after signing a fresh two-year contract ♚last year. 

Pre-season testing for the 23-race 2022 season - ꦜF1’s longest-ever campaign - gets underway on 23 February, ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on 18-20 March.