Lewis Hamilton has well and truly silenced anybody who thought he’d retire at the end of the season, as the seven-time World Champion has revealed to the press that he “wants to keep racing”.
Following what has been a challenging year for Hamilton and the Silver Arrows, some questioned if the 37-year-old would see this year’s struggles as a sign to leave the sport he’s been in since 2007.
2022 appears to have had the complete opposite effect, with the Brit admitting that this campaign has been a “great experience”.
Hamilton has just three races remaining to ensure that 2022 isn’t the worst of his F1 career, something it is currently on-track to be.
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He looked very strong, though, last weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, where he was looking set to claim his first win of the season.
Alas, it wasn’t to be, as 2021 rival Max Verstappen overtook him with just six laps remaining.
Regardless of that, Hamilton has been much more upbeat as of late and has decided he will be at the pinnacle of motorsport for a “longer time”.
“The time has come again when I think about how to proceed,” Hamilton said in Mexico, per Auto Motor und Sport.
“You analyse the past year and try to imagine what the next three to five years might look like. Where do I see myself? What do I want to do? What are my goals?
“Outside of the sport, I am in many businesses with a good chance of success. But I want to keep racing too.
“I love what I do. I’ve been doing it for 30 years and I’ve never felt the need to stop. I want to do even better. That’s why I plan to be there for a longer time.”
Whilst Hamilton isn’t retiring this year, former rival turned friend Sebastian Vettel is.
The pair have enjoyed many battles over the last 15 years, but Hamilton just thinks that the two of them are currently on “different paths”, with him “definitely” going to sign a new deal.
“Seb and I are just on a different path in life,” he insisted.
“Will I still drive past 40? Maybe. But Mercedes and I will definitely extend the contract. We will sit down in the next two months.”
Hamilton announcing that he will sign a new multi-year deal means that his new contract will likely run until the end of 2025, given that his current contract expires at the end of 2023.
Some had questioned if Daniel Ricciardo was targeting Hamilton’s seat in 2024, after having talks with Mercedes about becoming their new reserve driver.
The 103-time GP winner extending his deal, though, ends any hope the Aussie might have had of racing for Mercedes, who has stated that he “wants” Hamilton to “stay in the sport”.
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“The truth is I want Lewis to stay in the sport,” Ricciardo said on Thursday in Mexico.
“He’s one of the greatest ever to do it and I think competing with him, going wheel to wheel with him is fun. It’s normally at the pointy end so I certainly wish to do that more in the future.
“So I don’t think my future is relative to what others do. I think it’s just – how do I say it – the opportunities will arise when they do, but I’m not banking on anyone doing something so I can find my way.”