Lewis Hamilton turned 39 in the first week of January, and while his fans hate to address it, it means the Briton is another step closer to his retirement. For most, the belief is that Hamilton will call his time in the sport once he can secure his eighth drivers’ world title. However, in a recent report, Formule1.nl quoted the Mercedes driver as he talked about an eighth-world title not being the endpoint in his racing career.
“I never said an eighth title would be the endpoint. And what follows from driving in Formula 1, I don’t know. I don’t necessarily feel the desire to stay active in Formula 1 any longer, but as I said before- never say ‘never'”.
There are still chances of Hamilton stepping away from F1, but it could well be something similar to what Fernando Alonso did. Only, instead of racing in another sport, the seven-time world champion would spend his sabbatical in the F1 paddock. The Mercedes driver finds it difficult to imagine himself not driving in a competitive scenario in F1, but with age catching up, a difficult decision lies in the near future for him.
Lewis Hamilton has countered suggestions from fellow F1 champions, Jenson Button and Damon Hill, that he could be heading for retirement, saying such comments are “never helpful.” ❌ pic.twitter.com/mFsaftDe86
— Autosport (@autosport) March 3, 2023
Talks of an eighth drivers’ title leading to Hamilton’s retirement from the sport intensified greatly right after the antics of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. Lewis Hamilton was on the brink of glory when a controversial call by the race stewards meant it would be Max Verstappen who stood atop the podium and the F1 world.
Hamilton has yet to win a race in F1 ever since, and the popular belief is that he wants to win one more championship before retiring from the pinnacle of motorsports.
Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton is still capable of winning a championship
Having gone two full seasons without winning a race, Toto Wolff claimed if Mercedes were to provide Hamilton with a car capable of winning races, there is no doubt the 39-year-old would be able to secure a drivers’ championship.
In Hamilton’s mind, the thought of retirement will only come after he wins his eighth championship, provided he has a capable car. Wolff believes when Hamilton has a competitive car and is in competition for a win, he almost always delivers and brings out his best.
“Every time when we’ve seen that Lewis has somebody as a target in front of him, and it was about winning the race, then the real Lewis comes alive.”
Toto Wolff on the W15’s progress:
“The stopwatch never lies, and we will see next year in Bahrain.”
“We will have a different chassis, different aerodynamics, different characteristics, different suspension and everything that we can change, we are going to change.”
“So far,… pic.twitter.com/9CcS8S90i7
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) December 11, 2023
2023 marked the first season since 2011 where Mercedes failed to win a single race, pointing out the greatest flaw in the car. Despite often showing good 1-lap pace, the W14 rarely had enough in it to keep the pace up throughout the race, pulling them back from making any progress in the more important races.
Moving ahead, Wolff’s primary focus is on handing his star driver a car capable of winning. However, in the longer run, the 52-year-old wants to win more constructors’ titles, asserting the need for consistent improvements despite incredible success in the past.
