The king of the turbo-hybrid era, Lewis Hamilton, showed the world what dominance on-track and poise off-track looked like. But when the tables turned for the 38-year-old and Mercedes failed to nail the new regulations, the chatter about his retirement gained force. Taking inspiration from American icons like LeBron James and Tom Brady, Hamilton has come out with strong claims as to why he’s not done with the sport.
Hamilton needs a light to follow him out of this abyss he finds himself in. Luckily, he has one, and he’s got LeBron James to thank for it. After witnessing James, recently top the all-time regular-season scoring list by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hamilton looks to find the grit to continue his search for the elusive 8th title.
Lewis Hamilton intends to take a leaf out of LeBron James’ and Tom Brady’s book
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The Silver Arrows have been struggling since 2022, and consequently, so has Hamilton. He’s not the star of the show anymore. Rather, while Max Verstappen dominates, he’s busy collecting whatever points he can for the team. Hence, many believe that he’s lost his mojo, and given his lack of motivation, his day in Formula 1 are numbered. However, the Brit has taken inspiration from two icons to prolong his career.
“I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. I’m not at the end of my career, I’m not in the downhill slope of my career. I’m in my prime. It all depends on how hard I want to work and keep myself in my prime, in terms of physical and mental capability,” told Lewis Hamilton to ESPN.
The 7x champion added, “If you look at LeBron [James], if you look at Tom Brady, they have shown that it can be sustained for as long as you are dedicated enough to put the energy and time in. Right now, I don’t plan on changing, I only plan on adding to the drive and the motivation and to being better. I’m massively driven.”
While Hamilton has confirmed his future in F1, what about his team?
Toto Wolff reveals talks with Charles Leclerc and Hamilton
Charles Leclerc is one driver that has been linked with a move to Mercedes very strongly. However, team principal Toto Wolff was quick to shut down any speculation of this happening in the near future. For the Silver Arrows, their no. 1 priority is still the 38-year-old Lewis Hamilton.
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Wolff revealed to Formula 1.com, “The only time I talked to him [Leclerc] was to ask where the gate is in Melbourne to board the plane. No contact otherwise.” He then went on to clarify his stance on resigning Hamilton.”
“I think he’s [Leclerc] 100% committed and loyal to Ferrari and it’s his contract, and in the same way we are 100% committed to putting pen to paper with Lewis. I think nobody doubts Charles’s ability and he’s a good guy.”
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