Webber: Hamilton on 'the home straight' but still has 'more in him'

Former F1 driver Mark Webber says Lewis Hamilton is nearing the end of his career in F1, yet the Aussie wants to see the Mercedes star remain "a bit longer" in the sport.

Hamilton's one-year contract with Mercedes which the Briton signed ahead of the start of the 2021 season has led to speculation that the 36-year-old could call it a day at the end of this year, especially if he manages to secure a record eighth F1 title.

Jenson Button recently said that his former McLaren teammate was still too young to walk away from the sport, a view echoed by Webber who says that Hamilton's current level of performance warrants at least another year on the grid.

"He’s definitely on the home straight, there’s no question about that," said the former Red Bull charger, speaking on the On The Marbles podcast.

"You’d be a brave man to say he’s going to race for three more years. Two, maybe. One, yes, and then there’s a high chance, it makes a lot of sense. There’s new rules in 2022.

"[I’d say] go long, even Lewis at eight and a half out of 10 is still dangerous. Go a bit longer, you don’t have a great deal to lose in my opinion. when you’re that amazing.

"I still think he’s got more in him."

• Read also: Hamilton: 'Holy crap! I’ll be grey by the end of this!'

Webbers' fellow F1 rival and Channel 4 commentator David Coulthard believes that Hamilton's one year deal with Mercedes reflects "a lack of commitment" from both team and driver.

"I get that you can say ‘well let’s leave things open because new regulations are coming in’ but they’re not going to learn any more about each other this year that they don’t already know.

"I don’t buy into the fact that he’s going to pop up at Ferrari or anything like that. I think it just shows doubt, which cannot be a good thing.

"I wonder if he’s just starting to not like certain elements of – not the driving, but the politics of Formula 1."

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