Grit and determination have been the bulwark of the career of Lewis Hamilton. He’s been faced with many highs and many lows throughout his journey in motorsport. But what has enabled him to carve a niche out for himself in the game of racing has been his relentlessness in striving for glory. That being said, no man is invincible. And even though the 38-year-old has done some inhumane things in an F1 car, the 7x champion is just as human as all of us.
This begs the question of Hamilton reaching his limit in light of these past couple of years. A man who once won everything is now forced to sit back and watch his arch-nemesis, Max Verstappen, pull his legacy apart to forge one with his own name. In all of this, the Brit has been tipped many times before to just call it quits.
After another disappointing season in the works, Hamilton has spoken out for the very first time to his fans. He took to Instagram to post a motivational message for his followers. But hidden within the quotes was a sinister reality he was revealing to his fandom.
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He began by writing, “Some days I feel like stopping.” He then went on to detail the struggles of fighting back in the face of abject failure. “When I start to feel this way I dig deep and remember I’m on a mission. Whether you realise it or not, you’re on a mission too.”
“We’re all chasing something. Some dream or goal that will make us better people, make our lives more fulfilling, and make us proud of ourselves. Some days it’ll feel impossible to get there, but it’s not. We can get it. We will get it. I know you’re with me. I feel the love and support and just know I’m sending it back to you tenfold. We got this.”
All the signs are pointing towards the unthinkable, though; the day we will no longer see Lewis Hamilton race again.
The future of Lewis Hamilton in F1 hangs by a slim thread
Hamilton has achieved whatever any man can only dream to achieve in this sport. At the Turkish Grand Prix back in 2020, he became a 7x champion. In Russia, he became the only driver to win 100 F1 races. But there’s just one last thing left to do; that elusive 8th. But what if the time has really run out for the Brit?
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According to ex-F1 team boss, Eddie Jordan, it may actually have. He told the Formula for Success podcast, “My view at the moment is that he must be thinking hard about [his future]. I don’t know where he gathers up the total commitment every weekend to keep doing it time and time again.”
“If he decides to stop, I’d support him on that. If he decides to go ahead, I want to see that he has at least a chance to fight for races because that eighth title has to be in the back of his mind.”
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