“I’m Not Going to Do It at 80%, 70%” – Lewis Hamilton Refuses to Stay in F1 for Sake of It

With the significant delay in Mercedes signing a contract with Lewis Hamilton last year, there was significant speculation that the Briton would exit the sport on the back of, hopefully, his eighth title. However, the team surprised everyone in the paddock by announcing two-year contract extension on Saturday.

While he is understandably looking forward to race in a new era of the sport, Hamilton knows there will come a time when he hangs up his boots.

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Lewis Hamilton will retire from the sport instead of ‘trundling along’

As reported by Reuters, Hamilton has said he is fully focused on driving for Mercedes in the 2021 season and beyond. He also stated that he has rejuvenated his love for Formula One following his championship battle with Max Verstappen this season.

“I found myself just waking up thinking about racing, so I wanted to continue to race,” he said.

“Now we are having this tight battle it’s brought me closer to the team, closer to the engineers, it’s making me dig deeper and I love that. It has reinvigorated the love that I have for this sport and love for what I do,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton clarified, “There’s going to be a point at which I’m going to want to move on to do different things…I’m not going to do it at 80%, 70% and just trundle along.

“I’m only here to win. So if there’s ever a point that I feel I don’t want to commit the time or the effort, that will be the time for me to stop. I don’t plan to be here until I’m 40. I hope I have something else exciting to do beyond.”

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Can Hamilton win the Austrian Grand Prix?

Hamilton and Mercedes have lagged behind the Red Bull and Max Verstappen since they arrived at the Red Bull Ring. In quali, Max absolutely trounced Hamilton by finishing 0.3 seconds ahead of the Brit.

Lewis, starting in P4, would hope to get a good start and pass the cars in front to challenge Max Verstappen. It is critical for Hamilton to win at the Austrian Grand Prix as he needs to keep the championship alive.

Can Hamilton upset Max to win in Austria? Comment below to let us know.