Sir Lewis Hamilton has faced the most disastrous season of his Formula 1 career, with the seven-time World Champion staring down the barrel at his worst ever finish in the Drivers’ Championship.
The Brit has never finished below the top five in the standings by the end of the year; however, the Mercedes driver is currently occupying sixth place and is 22 points behind Carlos Sainz in fifth.
To make matters worse, Hamilton is also looking likely to see another of his records disappear.
Since his debut season, Hamilton has claimed at least one win in every year he’s competed in, a record that now dates back 15 years.
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No driver in the history of the sport has managed to claim a win in every season they’ve competed in, something Hamilton is also looking unlikely to achieve.
He has just four races remaining to claim victory and to keep the record alive, with perhaps the upcoming United States Grand Prix being his best bet of finally winning a race in the shocking W13.
Whilst 2022 has been disappointing, Hamilton has previously explained that he’s loving driving more than ever, with the challenging year having been a “great experience”.
With this in mind, Hamilton has reportedly told Mercedes boss Toto Wolff that he can race for another five years, something which Wolff happened to tell the media himself also.
“I spoke to him [Wolff] about his comments. I can’t say just yet. Possibly,” answered Hamilton.
“I’m feeling good, I love what I’m doing. We have a lot of work to do, a lot to achieve still.
“I’m not planning on going anywhere any time soon. I’m planning on staying longer but it’s not set in stone on how long.”
Should Hamilton race for another five years then it’ll see him in F1 well into his 40s, something he’s previously stated he doesn’t want; however, his opinion on that seems like it’s changed.
One thing that is for certain is that the British driver has every intention of staying with Mercedes for the “rest of my life”, even in a non-driving role.
“I plan to be with Mercedes for the rest of my life. That’s definite,” revealed the 103-time GP winner.
“It’s more figuring out what we’re going to do, what are the timelines because even beyond racing, I want to be building with Mercedes. There is a lot Mercedes can do.
“It’s not just a car manufacturer. It provides so many jobs for so many people.
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“It has such a powerful platform to really shift narratives. It has a place to really have a positive impact on the environment and how we move forwards.
“There are loads of different things we can do together and I want to be a part of that shift and process with Mercedes far beyond winning races and championships.
“But for now it’s important we win championships so that’s the immediate focus.”