Sir Lewis Hamilton only recently inked a new deal with Mercedes, but according to ex-F1 driver Christijan Albers, the Brit is likely to ditch the Silver Arrows at the end of 2021.
“I see him switching to another team where he can earn more,” Albers said on the De Telegraaf newspaper’s F1 podcast.
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“During the season he will certainly start looking around him. He is an outspoken driver and also for that reason he will want to stay in Formula 1, because of course there he can always share his opinion.
“You can see that from everything, he is often in America to hang out with the stars. He wants to keep that lifestyle, so because of that he will definitely continue in Formula 1.
“If he were to leave the sport, I think he would end up in a black hole pretty quickly.”
Hamilton’s latest contract with Mercedes is just for a single year, so he is in a position to jump ship should he decide to do so.
As for speculation that Hamilton might retire if he breaks Michael Schumacher’s record of eight Championships this year, Albers believes there is no reason for the Brit to walk away from F1 anytime soon.
“Lewis is not going to stop for now, he is still in his element,” Albers said.
“He talks sometimes that he might retire, but he’s really enjoying the sport. He really likes the show, he wants to level up.
“So I really don’t see him stopping, even next year. He feels at home in this world, where he also deals with the greatest artists in the world,” the Dutchman added.
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