Lewis Hamilton reckons he would rather be sure than sorry when the sun begins to set on his career in F1, the Briton suggesting he’d take a sabbatical from the sport before making a permanent call on retirement.
Hamilton, who is set to embark at 39 on his eighteenth season among motorsport’s elite, has enjoyed a longevity that has brought him 103 wins and seven world titles, a record he shares with fellow F1 legend Michael Schumacher.
Alas, the past two seasons have been a stark contrast to the incredible success Hamilton has enjoyed throughout his career, with a succession of campaigns marred in struggles linked to Mercedes’ difficulties in adapting to the sport’s ground effect regulations introduced in 2022.
That year, Hamilton’s title defense ended abruptly and while his 2023 season was slightly better, he was still unable to challenge for race wins, let alone for the title.
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Despite the challenges, the Briton is still a fierce competitor, driven by his passion for the sport, who will remain on the grid at least until the conclusion of his current contract with Mercedes which runs until the end of 2025.
While an eighth world title remains a prime objective for Hamilton, he insists it is not an end in itself. For now, retirement isn’t in his plans, and he admits that when the feeling of calling it a day does creep in, he might just take to the sidelines and ponder his fate for a year.
“I’ve never said an eighth title would be the endpoint,” the Briton told Formule 1.
“But I don’t know what comes next after Formula 1. I don’t necessarily feel like I’d want to stay active in Formula 1 but never say never.
“But I can’t imagine not driving anymore and still being in the pit box somewhere. I’d just be thinking: ‘I could have stuck with it another year.’
“So it would probably be better to take a sabbatical and then see if I want to come back.”
Case in point, Schumacher and Fernando Alonso both retired from the sport before coming back and giving it another go, while Hamilton’s former arch-rival Sebastian Vettel has also considered a return to the fray.
“It didn’t surprise me, because you see it more often with retired drivers now. Fernando came back, Michael Schumacher did too,” he commented.
“I’ve also seen it with athletes from other sports and have spoken to a few about it. They said: ‘You lose something you’ve done all your life, suddenly it’s gone.’ I can imagine it’s an incredible hole to fall into.”
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