“It’s Just Not Set in Stone”: Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes Five Year Promise Gets Blunt Reality Check From The Man Himself

With his 16th season for F1 coming to an end, the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, is in no rush to give up the wheel. Talks of his retirement have come up from time to time, but Mercedes boss man, Wolff, assured us that the possibility of his retirement is far from happening.

Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Toto Wolff had an interview with Channel 4 Sport where he brushed on the said topic stating that the extension of the 37-year-old’s contract was just a matter of time.

He said, “The advantage is we speak a lot together. He lives here and I’m there [in Monaco]. And just last week we sat down and he says ‘well, I have another five years in me. How do you see that?’”

Hamilton is bound to the Mercedes contract that ends in 2023, and the example set by Fernando Alonso (41), who recently signed a new contract with Aston Martin, just proves to show that age is a rather unimportant factor.

Expressing his personal thoughts on the subject, right before the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton said, “I haven’t spoken to him about these comments and I can’t say that yet. But it’s possible, I feel good and I love what I do. We still have a lot of work to do and a lot to achieve. I have no plans to leave any time soon.”

“It’s not that I’m not sure. I know what I want to do and I plan to stay here longer. It’s just not set in stone for how long. I intend to be with Mercedes for the rest of my life, so that’s for sure.”

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Moreover, stressing the role Mercedes plays beyond the grid, Hamilton stated that Silver Arrows are responsible for generating so many job positions, and considering the big name that they are, they hold a lot of power in giving back and changing the narrative to benefit the environment and the future.

He wants to actively be a part of all the right things that he does with the company, resulting in growth for individuals as well as the community.

Reasons Why Lewis Hamilton Cannot Retire

Lewis Hamilton’s biggest challenger is himself. As per the Brit, he is not concerned by young drivers, like Max Verstappen. Hamilton very strongly believes in self-improvement. And that’s why he believes himself to be his biggest challenge.

He wants to outdo what he did yesterday. And the scope of his improvements isn’t limited to the world of motorsport. His utmost concern is “where I am in life right now.”

“I have great things to do outside of sport, I have a lot of freedom to build things outside of sport. I have my foundation that I set up and there is a lot of work to do within sport.”

“I can’t retire now because I’ve only just started creating a more open and inclusive environment here in sport. I have to stay and help keep it that way,” Hamilton said.

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Hamilton has also said that if he ever were in the position of wanting to walk away, he will want George Russell to take his legacy forward. He believes that the fellow Brit holds a lot of promise and will prove his importance in the sport in days to come.