Lewis Hamilton - no plans to be in F1 until he's 40 so is new Mercedes deal his last?

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton - no plans to be in F1 until he's 40 so is new Mercedes deal his last?

Hamilton will be nearly 39 when new contract expires

Ian Parkes

Sunday 4 July 2021 08:00

Lewis Hamilton has suggested his new deal with Mercedes could be his last as he has made clear he does not plan to be in F1 until he is 40.

Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Mercedes confirmed Hamilton had signed a two-year extension to his existing agreement with the team, taking him through to the end of 2023.

By that stage, at the conclusion of the campaign, likely in early December given the nature of the F1 calendar these days, Hamilton will be one month shy of his 39th birthday.

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Asked whether the latest deal would likely be his last, and if not, what would motivate him to continue until 40, Hamilton joked: "Thirty-eight doesn't actually sound that bad!"

He added: "When I'm 38 there's going to be a point at which I'm going to want to move on to do different things.

"I guess it just always comes down to [the fact] I never do anything half-arsed so I'm not going to do it [continue in F1] at 80 per cent, 70 per cent and just trundle along. There are people that can do that.

"I'm only here to win so if there's ever a point where I feel I don't want to commit the time or the effort, the mental time and the energy it takes, that will be the time for me to stop.

"But I don't plan to be here until I'm 40. I hope I have something else exciting to do beyond.

"Regardless, no matter what time I stop, I'm going to miss this sport, the competing side of it, for sure."

For now, Hamilton is energised by the fact he is facing a new challenge, even if the prospect of winning a record-breaking eighth title this season is slowly starting to fade given the rise of Red Bull and Max Verstappen this season.

"When I reached 100 poles it definitely made me think 'What's next?'" questioned Hamilton on a feat he achieved at this year's Spanish Grand Prix. "But as I said I'm constantly being challenged, it's never easy.

"We're constantly having to push ourselves and elevate. It's a constant struggle within this sport trying to get the car right each weekend, trying to understand the tyres, the aero configuration, each track is different, different surfaces, each compound is different.

"You've got young cats coming through who are doing great, you've got Red Bull who've just got an amazing package this year, McLaren have really progressed so well and I'm so happy for them.

"So it's exciting, it's the closest pack we've probably ever had, and I'm excited to see what the next year holds in terms of I hope it remains the same in terms of closeness."