Hamilton ends silence, says he’s back

Lewis Hamilton returned to social media Saturday following a lengthy silence that dates to last season’s controversial Formula 1 finale. Hamilton had dropped out of public sight after he was denied a record eighth championship in the December finale in Abu Dhabi. He re-emerged Saturday with a post that showed the seven-time champion smiling from what appears to the Grand Canyon. “I’ve been gone. Now I’m back!” wrote Hamilton. Hamilton did one brief postrace interview following his Dec. 12 loss to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. He skipped the mandatory news conference, skipped the gala in Paris, and his last public appearance was three days after the Abu Dhabi race when Hamilton received his knighthood at Windsor Castle. Hamilton declined to speak to the media at Windsor Castle and his last social media post had been the night before the season finale. Speculation has swirled that Hamilton, who turned 37 last month, will retire from F1 over his disgust on how the championship was decided. Hamilton skipped the mandatory season-ending awards ceremony as well.