Lewis Hamilton has reassured fans that he will retire from F1 with Mercedes. However, the Silver Arrows is not the only team the Briton has pledged his loyalty to. He previously claimed that he wants to return to McLaren for his swansong season.
His situation with Mercedes remains unclear at the moment. The 7x world champion’s contract expires at the end of the 2023 season. He is yet to sign a contract extension with the Silver Arrows.
If a suitable deal is not reached with the Silver Arrows, Hamilton won’t hesitate on tracking back on his commitment. And maybe we could see the driver return to his boyhood team for his final act.
Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes at the end of 2023?
Lewis Hamilton has yet to finalize his plans and whether he’ll continue with Mercedes beyond 2023. At the age of 38, it’s fair to assume that Hamilton is nearing the end of his racing career.
Previously in an interview with ESPN, the driver spoke about his wish to return to McLaren for one final season. He admitted, “I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about ending my career anywhere else.”
Hamilton added, “I started at McLaren, I’d like to think I’ll always be a part of the McLaren family, I started there when I was 13 years old, so I thought about what it would look like if I was at McLaren one day.”
The Briton would want to drive for a team who can provide him with a car to win his elusive 8th title. However, if Mercedes cannot deliver a competitive car or there are no vacant seats left in top teams, Hamilton could consider making an unusual move to McLaren.
He signed for McLaren when he was a teen, as a junior driver. The Woking-based team sponsored Briton’s career in the junior formula series. He made his F1 debut in 2007 with McLaren and later achieved his first world championship title with the British team.
Hamilton addresses Ferrari rumors
Lewis Hamilton holds plenty of F1 records and is widely considered one of the most successful F1 drivers. However, the driver never had the chance to drive for Ferrari. The Italian constructors are the most successful brand in the F1 grid and only employ the best drivers to work their machinery.
There are reports that Hamilton is unhappy with Mercedes’s struggles and lack of winning. In the meantime, Ferrari has emerged as a suitor for Britons’ signature as they wish to claim their first title in 17 years.
Hamilton claimed that he too had considered making a switch to Ferrari in the past but never went ahead with it. He revealed, “I thought about and watched the Ferrari drivers on the screens at the track and of course, you wonder what it would be like to be in red.”
However, soon Mercedes came knocking for the Briton. In 2013, the driver signed for the Silver Arrows with whom he’ll win 6 titles and level Michael Schumacher’s records.
At the moment, the 7x champion has no plans on moving to Maranello. He remains focused on his current team. Hamilton added, “But then I go to my team, to Mercedes, and this is my home. I’m happy where I am. I haven’t signed a contract yet, but we are working on one.”
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff believes, providing Hamilton with a competitive car is paramount. However, the Austrian will not stop him if the driver wishes to change teams to win his 8th world championship title.
