Following the announcement of Sebastian Vettel’s retirement at the end of 2022, only two drivers from the older generation will remain on the 2023 Formula 1 grid: Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
The Briton’s contract with Mercedes expires, precisely, at the end of next season, but he has insisted on numerous occasions that he has no intention of retiring at that time, since he considers that he has more goals to achieve, both inside and outside the clue.
Hamilton is focused on fighting, along with Mercedes, for what would be his eighth world championship, but he also has projects off the track. He is committed to driving diversity and inclusion in Formula 1 through his foundation, Mission 44, so he doesn’t feel the need to think about retirement when he still has multiple motivations to continue.
“I think it’s a reminder that I’m at that point in my career where the people I came in with and raced with for so long are going to start leaving,” Hamilton said, following the announcement of Vettel’s retirement in Hungary.
“Before you know it, Fernando won’t be here. And then who will be next? I’ll be the oldest, I guess. But, no, it hasn’t made me think about that,” Hamilton explained, referring to his eventual retirement . from F1.
“I’m thinking about how I can improve this car. I’m thinking about what are the steps I have to take to make this team win again, what is the roadmap to win another world championship.
“What steps do we need to take to get everyone aligned in this sport to really start to reflect the work we’re trying to do in terms of diversity? I’m thinking about all of those things.”
“When I talk about fuel left in the tank, [I mean] I’m still fighting for those things and I still feel like I have a lot to do on that.”
However, Hamilton does believe that he will not continue in the series when he loses the motivation to continue, but he confesses that he does not think that moment will come any time soon.
“If I stop [now], I’ll still have fuel left in the tank,” he said. “I don’t think I’m going to leave until I’m completely burned out and I don’t have anything left. But, hopefully that will be in a while.”
Hamilton also thanked Vettel for his activism to highlight environmental issues and humanitarian efforts while in F1, and hopes the series can continue on the path the German driver has pioneered.
“That’s the job that I’ve tried to do, what Seb [Vettel] has been trying to do here, to really spark conversations, to leave this place a better sport than it was when we found it. Hamilton said.
“I think Seb has played a very important role in this regard, and there is still a lot of work to be done. I don’t know if Seb is going to do more work, to stay in the background with the series or not.”
“I doubt he’ll come back to play commentary, but you can never say you’ll never do anything. But I do hope he’s in a better place. It would have been a terrible waste of time if he wasn’t,” Hamilton concluded.
