Lewis Hamilton is eager for more success with Mercedes (Picture: AP)
Lewis Hamilton has committed to Formula One and Mercedes-Benz for another two years.
The goal is to win a record eighth drivers title, and Lewis believes he and the team he has been with for the last ten years have it in them to overtake Max Verstappen and Red Bull before the end of 2025, despite the Englishman having not won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
‘You’re all stuck with me for a little longer,’ joked Hamilton shortly after the news had been announced.
‘I couldn’t be happier extending with this team. Mercedes has supported me since I was 13. Such a long time, and we still have unfinished business.’
Not only did Mercedes sponsor him through karting and the junior formulae, he has never raced an F1 car that did not have an engine built by the three-pointed star.
Seventeen seasons so far, and 323 race starts; such loyalty is unheard of in this – or perhaps any – sport. Hamilton, 38, loves road-going Ferraris, and has owned several, but the idea he might swap allegiance to the Scuderia was always far-fetched this late in his career.
Whether he hangs up his helmet in December 2025, approaching his 41st birthday, or extends again if he’s still tantalisingly close to achieving his target, I’m confident he will be a Mercedes man for life; an ambassadorship that will remain lucrative to the grave.
As for the next two years, it’s been reported he will earn £100 million from driving alone, not including his own enterprises and endorsements.
The ‘unfinished business’ is, of course, to snatch the crown back from Verstappen, who Hamilton believes was unfairly awarded the 2021 title in that controversial Abu Dhabi finale. The trouble is, Verstappen and Red Bull are so much faster now.
Mercedes have recovered from a poor start to this season and are P2 in the constructors’ standings, yet they still haven’t won a race yet this year while Red Bull have swept the board.
They have more than twice as many points as Merc. Max will make history at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix if he can take his tenth victory in a row. As his beleaguered team-mate Sergio Perez told the press conference in Monza yesterday, when asked what sets Verstappen apart: ‘The level he’s driving at is extreme. It doesn’t matter what’s happening, he’s always able to extract the maximum out of himself and the car every weekend.’
Lewis Hamilton is looking for a first win since 2021 (Picture: Reuters)
Hamilton acknowledges the scale of the task but believes Mercedes still have the superior brainpower and that his own talents are undimmed. Last season was ‘a difficult year’, he admits – the first winless campaign of his career – ‘[but] we’ve been the most successful team in history. We have that confidence in each other that we’re the best at what we do and, given time, we’ll be back to where we want to be. I still think I can keep improving. You can never reach perfection but the pursuit of perfection is the thrill for me.’
Hamilton is very conscious of his legacy, and is obsessive about finishing at the top. Had he won the championship in 2021 and claimed that historic eighth title, I believe he would have retired right then and there.
It may take more than another two years to beat Red Bull, so this mightn’t be the final contract extension. He will do whatever it takes. ‘Our story isn’t finished,’ Hamilton insists. ‘We are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do.’
Gasly: Monza could be a low for Max
Monza’s low-downforce, high-speed configuration could deny Red Bull its first win this year, Pierre Gasly thinks.
The Frenchman won here with AlphaTauri in 2020 and cautions Max Verstappen that the Italian GP is not always straightforward.
‘This weekend is probably the trickiest one for Max,’ says Alpine’s Gasly. ‘It’s Monza, it’s a very different track, you’re very low-drag.
‘Quite a lot of incidents can happen into turn one, and you have massive gain with DRS, so if someone is fast enough to stick to your DRS they could get a chance. I’ll be surprised if he pulls a 30-second lead [out] like he can on other tracks.’
Leclerc remains a believer in Ferrari
Charles Leclerc remains committed to Ferrari (Picture: Getty Images)
Charles Leclerc’s victory for Ferrari at Monza in 2019, in front of the joyful Tifosi, is probably the highlight of his career so far.
This season is proving a disappointment, with mistakes from both team and driver, and a particularly sub-par Dutch GP from which he retired. Some say
Leclerc is the fastest F1 driver over one lap, so might he be better off leaving Ferrari to fulfil his potential? For now, among the fluttering yellow flags and red grandstands, he says not.
‘I have always loved Ferrari,’ he told BBC Sport. ‘I’ve always made it very clear my goal is to try and be world champion but firstly with Ferrari.
‘I know how difficult it is. We are not in the easiest situation. [But] as strange as it can sound, whenever I put my helmet on, I still feel like the victory is possible. Whenever I close the visor, I still believe in it.’
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Lewis Hamilton wants to leave on a high.