Lewis Hamilton admits NOT KNOWING when unique 'relationship' could end

F1 Superstars

Hamilton admits NOT KNOWING when unique 'relationship' could end

The seven-time world champion has recently signed a new two-year deal

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 8 September 2023 07:57

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is unsure how many years he has left in Formula 1.

The Mercedes man has recently signed a new contract to keep him in the sport until at least the end of 2025, meaning he will have the chance to break Michael Schumacher's record and add an eighth world championship title to his name.

Already the most successful driver in F1 history due to surpassing Schumacher's number of race wins and pole positions, Hamilton is hoping to continue his legacy well into the future.

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Despite Mercedes' lack of pace over the past two years in comparison to Red Bull, who with Max Verstappen are cruising to a third successive drivers' world championship, Hamilton decided to keep faith with the team that has given him so much success over the past ten years, rather than try to win his eighth title with a different team.

Now, in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports Italia, he has revealed why Mercedes were the team to continue his journey with.

“I don't know how many years I have left, so I focused on this renewal: there are some things I want to do that require my presence in this job so that I have the chance to do them.

"They put me under contract when I was 13 years old and supported me for better or worse. There's never been a relationship or a partnership like ours. There have been so many drivers throughout history who have been under contract to do a job with the team, but it's something deeper for us. In difficult times, they have always been by my side".

Mercedes' fall evident at Monza

George Russell was the last Mercedes driver to win a Grand Prix, at the Brazilian GP in 2022

Last time out at the Italian Grand Prix, Mercedes managed a fifth and sixth place finish with Hamilton and George Russell, who has also recently signed a new contract to stay as Hamilton's team-mate until the end of 2025.

This result was seen as a good result for them, given how slow their car had looked throughout the weekend. This shows how far they have fallen since their domination period between 2014-2020, when it was a surprise if any other team managed to snatch victory away from them.

They have been masters at getting the best result out of their car this season, currently sitting in second in the constructors' championship behind Red Bull without even looking like they might threaten for a race win in the first 14 races.

In fact, the team haven't won a race since the Brazilian GP last year, and Hamilton's last victory came at the Saudi Arabian GP in 2021.

Russell's victory at Interlagos was the only race in the last 25 races that Red Bull have not won, such has been their dominance over the past two years.

Despite this, Hamilton believes what he is building with the Mercedes team is bigger than just performances on the track.

"We do a lot of work off the track: we keep an open mind, we are changing the landscape of this sport. And we have been doing it for many years. We have been leaders in Formula 1, in fashion, and we are at the forefront in many other sectors".