Lewis Hamilton will have the 'drive' to return to F1 next year, his biggest rival says, as rumors swirl about the Brit retiring

• Max Verstappen said he thinks Lewis Hamilton will have the drive to return to the sport next season.
• Rumors have circulated since Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suggested Hamilton may retire after the Abu Dhabi GP.

Max Verstappen said he believes Lewis Hamilton will make a return to Formula One despite rumors in recent days that the Mercedes driver may retire before the start of the 2022 season.

Speculation ramped up on Thursday when Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested the seven-time world champion may call it quits following the heartbreak of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton missed out on a potential eighth world title after he was overtaken in the final lap by Verstappen following a controversial call from the race director.

Wolff said the pair of them were "disillusioned" and that Hamilton will have to "overcome the pain that was caused upon him" if he were to continue.

Verstappen, though, said he thought Hamilton would have the "drive to keep on going."

"Of course, I can understand that the first few days, after a race like that, you're not happy," Verstappen said at a press conference during the FIA Prize Giving Gala, at which he picked up his world championship trophy.

"I think he should just look back at what he has achieved, and that should give him a lot of comfort and that drive to keep on going.

"He is still trying to challenge for that eighth title, and he can do that again next year, so I don't see any reason why to give up or stop now."

Asked if he felt sorry for Hamilton, Verstappen said no but knew it was "painful."

"No, I don't feel sorry but I can understand it can be very painful.

"At the end of the day, that's racing as well. You just have to keep fighting until the end and you know that in racing anything can happen.

"He also won a championship like that," Verstappen added, referencing Hamilton's 2008 title win. In 2008, Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa won the final race of the season in Brazil, and looked set to win the world title.

Hamilton needed to finish fifth in the race to take the world championship, but was trailing in sixth until the very final corner of the race. He managed to overtake Toyota driver Timo Glock to finish fifth and win the first of his titles by a single point. Massa would never win another race in F1.

Due to that experience, Verstappen said: "I think he can understand as well."

Hamilton is contracted to Mercedes for another season and if he does return, he will share the paddock with his new teammate George Russell.