After the last lap loss to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi 2021, Lewis Hamilton has been patiently waiting for a shot at the coveted eighth world championship. Mercedes failing to provide him with a championship car brought about multiple retirement rumors, with Hamilton unable to win races and challenge for the title in a subpar car. Amid this, Hamilton himself revealed what will keep him in F1, as per Blick.
The seven-time world champion has not been a title contender since 2021, the year he agonizingly lost out on the crown on the final lap. For a driver of Hamilton’s standards, being P3 in the championship and out of the title picture at this stage of the season is not optimal.
However, experts believe that the 38-year-old will continue to hustle till Mercedes brings back their championship recipe and provides a car worthy of challenging Red Bull. If that happens, he can finally compete for the eighth title, and retire having achieved everything in the sport.
Lewis Hamilton revealed when and now his retirement might arrive
Hamilton recently opened up about himself with Roger Benoit as he sat for an interview. There he was asked if he would retire after he is done claiming his eighth title.
Answering this, the Stevenage-born driver said as per Blick, ”I never said that the eighth title was a stop signal for me. But I’ll only know that when I actually get there.” Along with this, the former McLaren driver also mentioned that he wants to give his 100 percent to the team till he is in the team.
The @LewisHamilton story. 💛 pic.twitter.com/Tc6tgIbIXV
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) October 1, 2023
Nevertheless, with the championship battle done and dusted for this year already, Hamilton is looking forward to 2024 and waiting eagerly for the Mercedes W15.
Hamilton’s faith in Mercedes intact for next season
Mercedes failed to match Red Bull yet again this season after last year’s failure. However, Lewis Hamilton believes that the Silver Arrows can improve significantly come the next season.
Admittedly, the Brackley-based team got rid of their zero sidepod design from last year and made significant improvements to the car. With some more upgrades to their W14 in the next few races, Toto Wolff and Co. is expected to make a massive leap forward.
Currently, Hamilton stands in P3 with 190 points in the championship. He is only behind the Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Sergio Perez. As for Mercedes, they are in P2 in the Constructors’ championship and will need to defend their position from a resurgent and confident Ferrari.
