Hamilton: 'I may need to start paying Kimi to stay so I’m not the oldest!'

Lewis Hamilton joked that he might need to start paying Kimi Raikkonen to remain on the Formula One grid to prevent him from becoming the oldest driver on the grid.

At 35-years old, Lewis Hamilton is the second oldest driver on the grid only to the 40-year-old Finn Raikkonen. While drivers often go off the boil with age, Hamilton is entering into the 2020 season with the sole aim of equaling Michael Schumacher's record total of seven world championship titles.

“I need to start paying Kimi [Raikkonen] to stay so I’m not the oldest! Luckily, I think he’s going to keep going," Hamilton told GQ Hype. “I don’t feel old at all. I feel as young as ever. I feel fit, fitter than ever.

“Everything just works better now, with the experience I have. I don’t even think it’s harder to stay physically in shape, although I’m sure that will inevitably tail off at some point.”

Hamilton going toe-to-toe with Verstappen and Leclerc is exciting - HornerRead more

Heading into the 2020 season, Hamilton faces a level of uncertainty with regards to his future in the sport. Mercedes are yet to commit themselves to the sport past the year and, with rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc signed on lengthy deals at Red Bull and Ferrari respectively, finding an alternative race winning seat may not be a simple task.

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