Formula One fans can finally put the back-and-forth rumors over Lewis Hamilton’s to bed. Both the and ESPN F1 Twitter accounts have teased that the driver will be returning for a 16th season. The news comes just 32 days before the 2022 F1 season is with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20th.

Rumors began swirling at the conclusion of the 2021 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Max Verstappen beat out Hamilton for the world championship with a questionable call by stewards on the final lap.

You can read more about the incident and . It’s a breakdown from two reporters whose racing knowledge far outweighs mine.

That goes to show the type of impact Hamilton has had on not only Formula One but on pop culture in general. The seven time world champion is an icon of the sport and and all racing. Even I know who the guy is.

It surely is a great relief for Formula One as a whole that the face of their sort isn’t calling it quits, unlike the NFL and Tom Brady... that jerk.

Following the race, Hamilton went on a bit of a social media hiatus. However, on February 5th he reemerged on Twitter with a photo and the caption, “I’ve been gone. Now I’m back.”

That being said, he hasn’t tweeted out to his 7 million followers since then.

It should be noted that the Brit hasn’t posted or given any sort of comment himself on whether or not he’s actually back, but with both ESPN and Mercedes releasing teasers, it’s probably a safe bet that Hamilton will drive again. It’s a good thing, too, because Mercedes could use his expertise coming into an era of new regulations.