Defiant Hamilton fires back at retirement talk: ‘Get used to it’

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The Formula 1 paddock loves a good retirement rumor, but Lewis Hamilton is thoroughly exhausted by the premature obituaries being written about his career.

Arriving in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion slammed the brakes on the media’s relentless speculation about his future with a message that was equal parts defiant and confrontational.

At 41, and now deep into his Ferrari chapter, Hamilton made it abundantly clear that he has absolutely no intention of disappearing quietly from the grid. In fact, the Briton warned critics and sections of the media they had better adjust to seeing him around for a lot longer yet.

“I'm still in contract so everything's 100% clear to me,” Hamilton said.

“I'm still focused I'm still motivated I still love what I do with all my heart and you know I'm gonna be here for quite some time, so get used to it.

“There's a lot of people that are trying to retire me and that's not even on my thoughts. I'm already thinking of what will be next and planning for like the next five years. I'm still planning to be here for some time.”

©Ferrari

The comments landed with unmistakable sharpness in the Montreal paddock, particularly given the growing chorus of former drivers and pundits who have questioned whether Hamilton’s time at the top level is nearing its end.

Instead, Hamilton painted the picture of a driver who remains deeply invested in Formula 1 – and perhaps even irritated by the constant attempts to write the final chapter of his career before he is ready.

Ferrari still searching for more

Hamilton’s second season with Ferrari has shown encouraging signs despite inconsistent weekends. A strong opening in Australia and a long-awaited first Ferrari podium in China hinted at growing momentum, although recent races have seen teammate Charles Leclerc edge ahead on outright pace.

Still, Hamilton insists Ferrari are working relentlessly behind the scenes to unlock more from the SF-26 package.

“Hopefully a better weekend, I think there's a lot of learnings taken from the first races and particularly from the last race,” he said, addressing the Scuderia’s prospects in Montreal.

"There's been a huge amount of work, which I'm really grateful for. All the team back at the factory are working incredibly hard to try and analyse where we've been good, where we've not been so good and we've adjusted processes and approach.

“So I'm hoping that we're able to extract more from the car because I still think we're still trying to extract the most from the package that we have and then also just being realistic of where we stand currently compared to Mercedes, for example.

“But lots can happen so it's just about trying to extract the most from the car this weekend.”

Chasing history – but keeping expectations grounded

Montreal also offers Hamilton a chance to move clear of Michael Schumacher for the most Canadian Grand Prix victories in history, with both drivers currently tied on seven wins.

Yet despite the emotional significance of the venue, Hamilton sounded cautious about Ferrari’s current position in the pecking order.

“I mean it probably adjusts each weekend,” he said. “Obviously Mercedes are at the top.

"McLaren looked incredibly strong last week, last race as well. They took a good step and Red Bull have made a huge step. So I think we're kind of in and around McLaren and Red Bull I'd say. Which order that it is, we’ll see.

“Mercedes have a big upgrade this weekend. Even without an upgrade they were very quick in the last race and still won the last race. So our focus is just going to be on ourselves and just trying to optimise.

"For me, I’m really excited to hopefully have a better weekend.”

If there was one unmistakable takeaway from Hamilton’s comments, it was this: retirement may be a favourite talking point elsewhere – but inside Hamilton’s own mind, it is nowhere on his agenda.

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Michael Delaney