The speculations surrounding the future of Lewis Hamilton seem to have ceased after the 38-year-old recently signed a whopping $63,000,000 contract extension with Mercedes. The Briton extended his stay at Mercedes by two years, and his current deal will now expire at the end of the 2025 season. While others had raised doubts about Hamilton’s potential to continue, it seems that the seven-time champion himself had concerns about whether he deserved a seat in F1. In a recent interview with motorsport.nextgen-auto.com, Hamilton explained how he had been asking himself a lot of questions about whether he was the right driver to continue with Mercedes.
During the same interview, he also revealed at which point he stopped having such doubts. It was then that the 38-year-old realized that he still had what it takes to compete at the highest level. As a result, he decided to sign a two-year contract extension with Mercedes, with the intention of wanting to fight for another world championship.
After signing his blockbuster contract extension, Hamilton told Sky Sports (as quoted by eurosport.com), “The goal within those two years is 100% to be fighting and win a world championship. We are second in the constructors’ championship right now and we want to dethrone those who are at the top. I have 100% faith that we can do that“.
Mercedes’ underperformance took a toll on Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has been used to winning all his F1 career as he has registered a victory each season, barring one. The only time that the Briton failed to register a win was last year.
As a result of his failure to do so, the Briton has revealed in an interview with motorsport.nextgen-auto.com how it took a toll on him. Hamilton revealed that he had several negative emotions throughout last season because things were “going badly” at the time.
“There are so many things that come to mind when things are going badly. You start asking so many questions about the environment you’re in, whether you’ve been overstaying“, explained Hamilton.
The questions that came to his mind about himself just did not end there as he added, “Do they [Mercedes] need someone new? They want to keep me because they love me, so are they doing me a favor, or am I really deserving? There are so many things you ask“. Hamilton then revealed that his doubts about himself came to an end following his stunning pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier this year.
While the 38-year-old did not win the race, he believes the result was good enough to help him regain his confidence. With Hamilton getting his confidence back, he also revealed in another interview that he is already thinking about his next F1 contract.
Hamilton reveals he plans to be in F1 for a while
Even though Lewis Hamilton is already 38 now, he revealed at the time of signing his latest contract extension that he has no plans of stopping anytime soon. The Briton stated that he is already thinking about what his next contract will look like as he plans to stay in the sport for a while.
However, in a recent interview with Sky Sports, he admitted that things could change by next year. He stated that one never knows where one will be in life, and as a result, he could face a situation next season when he does not want to continue any longer.
For this reason, Hamilton believes he can stay in the moment and enjoy his remaining time in F1. When it comes to his goals, he has just one thing in mind. And that is to fight for a record-breaking eighth championship.
