Hamilton promises 'to keep going' despite difficult season

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Lewis Hamilton was wistful and cryptic in a social media post Monday as he prepares to resume his tough debut season with Ferrari.

The record-sharing, seven-time Formula 1 champion seems ready to race Sunday when the series returns in the Netherlands after a four-week mid-season break.

“We have to keep going, even when it’s difficult,” the 40-year-old Hamilton wrote in a brief post on Instagram, with a photo of himself silhouetted in front of a warm sunset.

It offered more insight — if not complete clarity — after previous social media posts in his break from a racing season that has brought no podium finish in 14 starts and led Hamilton to call his driving “absolutely useless.”

“No days off,” he wrote last week accompanying a photo while lifting weights.

Days earlier, “DND” — what seemed to be “do not disturb” — was all he wrote with a photo laying in a grassy field near mountains with his bulldog Roscoe.

“I’m always so grateful for this time, for the opportunity to rest and recharge,” Hamilton posted Monday. “There’s a lot I’ve been meditating on.”

His thoughts seemed to be taking him beyond the F1 race tracks, where his best results have been three fourth-place finishes.

“Every one of us is up against so much, both individually and globally,” Hamilton wrote. “It’s so important that we embrace the light of truth and love and take care of ourselves so that we can better take care of others.”

“We can’t look away,” said the British racing great, who is still pursuing an eighth title that would lift him above Michael Schumacher.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri leads the F1 standings ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing