Lewis Hamilton has revealed the criteria he personally has to meet in order to continue racing in Formula 1, with the seven-time World Champion admitting that if he doesn’t tick all the boxes, then he doesn’t “deserve a position” on the grid.
Hamilton’s future in the sport has been a big talking point over the last two years, with many having expected him to walk away following the controversial handling of the 2021 season finale.
Of course, the British driver did compete last year in what was the worst season of his entire F1 career, with many expecting him to retire as a result.
However, 2022 has had the opposite effect on the Stevenage-born driver, who now wants to remain in the sport for a couple more years at least.
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His current deal expires at the end of 2023, but he is set to sign a multi-year extension before the conclusion of the winter break, suggesting that the 103-time GP winner is still “willing” to give his all.
“If we’d had a year like [2021 in 2022] and we were competing at the front all year, who knows where I would be,” he said, as quoted by RacingNews365.com.
“But I think, each year, you have to ask yourself, are you willing to give as much – if not more – than you did when you first started? Are you willing to give up all the time to prepare and train and work with the team and deliver?
“If there’s ever a moment that I’m arriving and I’m just coasting along, then that’s when I don’t personally belong here and don’t deserve a position here, and that’s when I should stop.
“[So] I question myself whether I’m able to do [those things], and do I want to do [them], and the answer is yes.”
Hamilton heads into 2023 eager to return to the front, after finishing sixth in the 2022 Drivers’ Championship.
All eyes will likely be on whether the Silver Arrows can get back to winning ways at Bahrain, after having to wait until the penultimate round in 2022 for George Russell to claim the team’s only win.
The outfit’s recent failure has seemingly put a fire in Hamilton’s stomach, with the Brit feeling proud of how Mercedes have “gelled together and pulled together”.
“We obviously have a championship that we need to get back,” Hamilton said.
“I love the mission and that challenge with my team. Every single person that’s back here in the team [and] in the garage has given us so much time in their lives, on the road, year after year after year, and this one’s been a really, really challenging one for us all, in so many ways.
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“But it’s been beautiful to see the journey that everyone individually is going on, but also collectively how we’ve gelled together and pulled together.
“I can’t wait to [get to] the time when we get back to success, when we finally get that championship,” he added.
“It’s going to make all of these tough moments worthwhile.”