Lewis Hamilton Talks About His F1 Future: Will He Retire After Winning 8th Championship?

After a disappointing race in Imola, Lewis Hamilton shared a realistic perspective on his championship hopes in 2022. The seven-time world champ has already ruled himself out of the championship race after just four races in the season. Sadly, Mercedes have clearly struggled with their W13 after porpoising concerns, resulting in a clear lack of performance compared to Red Bull and Ferrari. Hamilton had another tough race in Imola, where he finished P11 and failed to add any points to his championship total. Lewis only picked up a single point after finishing tenth in Saudi Arabia. As a result, the Briton is trailing the drivers\’ rankings leader Charles Leclerc by a hefty 58 points. 

Hamilton and Micheal Schumacher hold the record for most drivers\’ championships, with seven titles each. The British driver came within touching distance of winning his eighth title last year. However, he missed out when Verstappen controversially overtook him during the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. An eighth title would make him the F1 driver with the highest championship titles in motorsport history. However, Hamilton denied that an eighth title would not be the major factor in deciding his future in Formula One.

Hamilton Excited About His Involvement In Development & Plans To Be Here

Mercedes has had a difficult start of the season as they continue to battle the proposing struggles with their W13. The car lacked pace compared to Ferrari and Red Bull after the Silver Arrows increased the ride height to counter bouncing. The issues with the W13 have not allowed Hamilton to perform consistently and compete with the frontrunners, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. And when asked about his hopes of winning the championship in 2022, Hamilton described the feat as a \”tall order\”.

The Mercedes driver shared that winning a title this year is not the immediate priority in his mind. Lewis revealed that he enjoys the challenges that come through our journeys and lives. The Briton is having fun spending more time with the team. He is getting a deeper dive into the engineering, aerodynamic characteristics, and the development of the simulator & simulation tools.

Further, Hamilton thinks that the struggles have enabled him to get more involved in development which is exciting for the former world champ. Lewis added that he still feels fresh and young even when he is surrounded by all the youngsters on the racing circuit. The Briton added, \”So, I don\’t think that\’s going to be the deciding factor whether I continue or not. I plan to be here.\”

Lewis also revealed last week that he still aims to stay competitive during the 2022 championship and focus on securing realistic positions. The seven-time world champ will hope to make a better run in Miami next week, where the Mercedes plan on bringing some crucial upgrades.