Lewis Hamilton F1 News: Champion makes STUNNING claim on future amid Ferrari contract uncertainty

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Social — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton makes STUNNING claim on F1 future amid Ferrari contract uncertainty

The seven-time world champion may race longer than first thought

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 19 April 2024 08:27

Lewis Hamilton has made a defiant statement about his future in Formula 1, with question marks around the length of his Ferrari contract still hanging in the air.

The seven-time world champion announced before this season that he would leave Mercedes at the start of 2025, instead joining up with the most successful team on the F1 grid in Ferrari.

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He will partner Charles Leclerc at the Maranello-based squad in a last-ditch attempt to claim an unprecedented eighth world title.

Hamilton's Ferrari contract will take him into the new regulations that are set to sweep into the sport in 2026, but there is uncertainty around whether it includes the 2027 season too.

What's more, Hamilton has recently admitted being unsure as to what the next steps are with his current Mercedes team, having not been in a situation like this one before, where he is set to leave a team but still has a full season ahead of him.

Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in 2025

Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion

Hamilton 'doesn't feel 40'

Now, the 39-year-old has said that he plans to stick around in F1 well into his 40s, referencing Fernando Alonso's new contract with Aston Martin - which will see him race until he's 45 - as reason to suggest he hasn't got a limit on future seasons.

"I am not the oldest driver here. I am going to be racing for quite some time still so it is good [Alonso] is still around," Hamilton told media ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

"Fernando is one of the best drivers we've had in the sport so for him to continue to be here and continue to have the output he's had just shows what is possible. And shows the new era of athlete, what the human body can do and continue to do if you nurture it.

"I never thought I would be racing into my 40s. I'm pretty sure I said I wouldn't. But life is such a crazy trip. I don't feel 40. I generally feel great."

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Formula 1 Charles Leclerc