Mercedes will be continuing their journey with Lewis Hamilton for the foreseeable future it seems, with the Brit set to sign a multi-year contract in the coming weeks.
Both Hamilton and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have claimed that an extension will 100 percent be signed, despite the fact that there has been no news so far with only weeks to go until pre-season testing begins.
It has been rumoured than in these contract negotiations, Hamilton has asked for a post-racing contract that would see him stay with Mercedes in an ambassadorial role after he retires from racing.
The seven-time world champion has previously claimed that he wishes to remain with Mercedes for the rest of his life, believing that they are much more than a car manufacturer.
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In his debut podcast appearance on the On Purpose podcast, Hamilton has admitted that he is worried about life post-racing, explaining that it is difficult to prepare for life after retirement while giving 100 percent of your energy to racing.
“I love doing what I do,” he said.
“It’s gonna be really, really hard when I’ve stopped racing. I’ve been racing 30 years. When you start [thinking]; what’s going to match that?
“Nothing’s going to ever probably match being in the stadium or being at the race and being at the pinnacle of the sport, being at the front of the grid or coming through the grid, that emotion that I get there. When I do stop, there’ll be a big hole.
‘I think when I’ve spoken to other athletes, if we focus so much on that, being the best you can be in that one thing that the other things that you also love, everything [else] falls away.
“How can you compartmentalise staying in the zone and the focus lane, but also building up some of those other skills and discovering other passions.”
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Hamilton will be hoping that he can learn from the journey of Sebastian Vettel, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of last season to focus on his other passions and interests.
The German has claimed that he does not expect to “be a champion” his other interests, but is excited to see where his open schedule leads him in the future.
While Vettel has said that he does not see himself returning to Formula 1, Hamilton will have the reassurance of still being in the sport after he retires, should he take up a post-racing role with Mercedes.