Lewis Hamilton, seven-time Formula 1 world champion, celebrated his 300th grand prix at Paul Ricard, making him the sixth driver in history to achieve that figure. At 37 years old, the Briton is the second oldest on the grid, only behind Fernando Alonso, and has already dropped the possibility of continuing in the highest category of motorsport when he is 40 years old.
However, his team boss Toto Wolff suggested last Saturday in France that the latest discussions of Hamilton’s renewal covered a period of 5-10 seasons, even saying he believed they could “reach 400 races”.
The seven-time champion achieved his best result of the 2022 season on French soil, when he crossed the finish line in second position, behind his rival in the fight for the title last season, Max Verstappen, although ahead of his Mercedes teammate , George Russell.
Asked about the possibility of reaching 400 grands prix and staying long-term in Formula 1, Hamilton replied: “That’s a lot of racing!”
“First of all, I just want to be thankful that we got to this point,” he continued. “But I still feel fresh and I feel like I have a lot of fuel left in the tank.”
“I’m enjoying working in this sport more than ever, we have great people running the sport who have great ideas about the direction we’re going,” Hamilton said. “So I’m enjoying it more than ever.”
The English driver has been one of the leading voices pushing for action in Formula 1 to improve diversity and inclusion, with the help of the Mission 44 initiative and Ignite, his charity alongside Mercedes.
After losing his eighth world championship on the last lap of last year, the Briton has struggled to regain his form, although the performance of the W13 compared to the Ferrari and Red Bull cars with the new technical regulations has not helped.
Hamilton’s current contract with the Silver Arrows expires at the end of next season, but he has made it clear that he wants to fight for Formula 1 wins again with Mercedes.
“Of course I want to win again, and that’s going to take time, but I’m sure we’ll sit down at some point to talk about the future,” he said. “But, I insist, just with our team, I always want to continue building something.”
“It’s one thing to have races, but it’s also to continue the work we do outside, and I think Mercedes and ourselves can and will do more,” Lewis Hamilton said.
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