Lewis Hamilton has had a turbulent year at Mercedes, currently finding himself two races away from his first winless season in Formula 1, however the seven-time world champion is not ready to quit just yet.
After missing out on the record breaking eighth title last year in controversial fashion to Max Verstappen, the Briton is as hungry as ever to keep competing for years to come.
Toto Wolff has confirmed that whilst no talks have begun just yet, the pair will be sitting down after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to sort out the 37-year-old’s future with Mercedes.
“We haven’t started any talks, we want to definitely finish the season and then find some quiet time over the winter like we did last time around,” said the Mercedes team principal.
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“He’s much more than a driver to us now. And although we’re not talking about a career end, it’s also important to speak about his role as an ambassador for Mercedes and the many sponsors we have and the implication he can have in our wider universe.”
These comments come in tandem with Hamilton’s desire to stay with Mercedes for the rest of his life, admiring what the car manufacturer do outside of Formula 1 and the impact that they can have in the world.
Hamilton has previously said that he could not see himself racing into his 40’s, however maybe missing out of that elusive eighth world title has reignited something in the Brit to carry on.
Wolff sees no reason why Hamilton cannot keep competing for years to come, providing examples of other athletes who are at the top of their game at an older age.
“You can see today’s athletes pushing the boundaries in terms of age,” he explained.
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“For me, Fernando [Alonso] is performing at a very high level and you look, for me, at the best athlete in the world, Tom Brady, on the field being tackled and throwing a ball at 45-years-old.
“As long as you continue to look after yourself and your cognitive sensors, I think he has many more years in him.”
While a title challenge was not a possibility this season for the Silver Arrows, Hamilton will be hoping that his team have learned from this year, and can take advantage of Red Bull’s testing penalty to return to the top of the timing screens in 2023.