Sir Lewis Hamilton has been racing in Formula 1 over 17 years. He is one of the drivers who participated in the most F1 races. On top of that, the great British racer has been the most decorated F1 driver of all time. He has won 105 races and seven Driver’s World Championships. He will surpass the great Michael Schumacher if he wins one more championship. However, the great Briton will have to wait for next year when he joins the Prancing Horse. In 2024, Hamilton will be driving for Mercedes for one last time.
The team that made him the great champion he is today will have to see him drive for Ferrari in 2025. It is heartbreaking for all Mercedes fans, but it is a new opportunity for the seven-time champion to fight for the title. He may not be able to contend for the title this year because Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris are far too ahead of the rest. However, only time will tell what the future holds in store for Hamilton and Ferrari.
Former F1 Champion Feels Lewis Hamilton Can Race For Another Decade
Jacques Villeneuve made a wild guess about the potential longevity of Lewis Hamilton’s career. Previously, the Canadian racer made a controversial comment on the Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo. He said that the Aussie racer’s image still kept him in Formula 1. Moreover, Jacques was like, “It wasn’t Daniel’s action on the track,” that kept him in the sport. However, the 1997 F1 World Champion did not have the same view on the seven-time champion’s longevity. Instead, Jacques Villeneuve mentioned, “Lewis Hamilton can stay on the F1 grid for another ten years.” Over the course of 17 years, Hamilton has already raced in about 350 F1 GPs. However, the drivers who raced in more Grands Prix than Hamilton took breaks in F1. Fernando Alonso raced the most in F1 GPs, and then came Kimi Raikkonen in second place.
Michael Schumacher is fifth on the list of the most F1 races by a driver in all-time. Alonso, Raikkonen, and Schumacher have taken breaks in the sport. However, Lewis Hamilton has not yet taken such a break. Since 2007, the great Briton has only missed one race in 2020 because of COVID-19. Recently, Villeneuve told Prime Casino that Alonso is still very quick and hungry. The 43-year-old driver recently signed a contract to see him racing in 2025 and 2026. Hence, the 1997 F1 Champion said if Hamilton was super fit and hungry too, then would he stop? Like Alonso, Villeneuve expects to see Hamilton racing in at least the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Is The Seven-Time Champion Too Sensitive To Support Unlike Max Verstappen?
Jacques Villeneuve believes it depends on how it goes for Hamilton at Ferrari. The only way Lewis Hamilton can stick around for another decade is if racing for the Prancing Horse does not suck all the energy out of him. The 1997 champion said that unless the great Briton does not get too tired and starts to feel that he has had enough. If he starts to feel like “I don’t want to go to the track today,” he will have to stop, suggests Villeneuve.
The former F1 driver also said that things can get chaotic, and it might be hard to find constant support. Clearly, Lewis Hamilton always looks for that support. But Villeneuve believes Max Verstappen is killing it even without the support. Perhaps the 1997 champion wonders if Hamilton is too sensitive to support.
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