So Lewis is not 100% for Abu Dhabi....my irritation deepens...

[Nitrodaze]

Welcome to the forum Lee Rex .

Well thought out comments are always good , even when completely deluded .

My view of it would be that , given how bagged he was when he got out of the car after the race , he shouldn't have been in there in the first place .

My armchair analysis of it is that there's always been a little insecurity in the Lewis brain . We saw it early on in his career when he posted telemetry on the web to prove he wasn't slow .
So , when he saw George was fast , perhaps as ahead as he was against Bottas , he didn't want to see it again .
Maybe contract time has something to do in that thinking , but it should almost be irrelevant in my thoughts .

He is one of the fastest , most consistent , most well-rounded drivers the sport has ever seen .
And , that's why he disappointed me as well , when he didn't bow out and let George and Jack race .
It could have been seen as a kind of "elder statesman" move to let George sit at his desk in the big office one more time .

He missed a trick and then had to stay behind Bottas as well so he didn't crack that egg , too .

I'm disappointed , not that he cares .

I anticipated your post would be something like you have written. I don't think Hamilton missed a trick. Doing what you have suggested is how champions loose their edge. Put Alonso, Vettel or Schumacher in Hamilton's position, l assure you they would all do exactly the same thing. What we have seen is that quality that drive champions to be ahead of everyone. If Russell is a true champion, he would do exactly the same thing put in Hamilton's position in the future.

It is not much different from Russell deciding to sit out Abu Dhabi to let Jack Aitkins have another drive in the Williams. Why should he?

It is what it is. Champions are tigers, they prey and they don't let of. That is what makes them champions. So the theory of being the elder statemans do not apply to these sort of racers which is why they become multiple world champions. What you have described are loosers that may accidentally become champions.