A clause in Lewis Hamilton’s contract could mean in theory that rumours he is contemplating retirement are on the money. The 26-year-old Dutchman won the most recent Formula E championship for Mercedes’ works team and tested Hamilton’s car after the notorious Abu Dhabi finale. But when asked about the Hamilton rumours, de Vries insisted: “I don’t care about that. Tellingly, de Vries is not jumping on the bandwagon of suggesting that Hamilton – rather than his countryman Verstappen – is the more deserving 2021 champion. “But that does not alter the fact that Max deserves it and is a great champion,” de Vries added.

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