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Lewis Hamilton confirms that he is in negotiations with Mercedes about extending his F1 deal.
Sir Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he plans to extend his contract with Mercedes and continue racing in Formula One into his 40s.
The seven-time world champion, who is eager to pursue other business endeavours, had previously stated that he could not see himself competing at that age.
Hamilton’s current contract is slated to expire at the end of 2023, but just a few weeks ago, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff disclosed that discussions had already started with his star driver about a new term.
Despite having possibly the worst year of his lengthy career thus far, Hamilton has recently stated that he fully plans to continue competing after that.
Mercedes’ eight-year constructor’s title-winning streak is now officially broken, and Hamilton appears certain to conclude a season without winning a single race for the first time ever. Mercedes’ car has lagged considerably behind Red Bull and Ferrari in performance.
But that has not dampened the British sporting legend’s spirit, and he seems more determined than ever to bounce back and claim a record-breaking eighth title in the future.
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In an interview with Motorsport.com at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, he said:
‘We are going to do another deal, ‘We’re going to sit down and we’re going to discuss it in these next couple of months, I would say. My goal is to continue to be with Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13 and they really are my family.
‘They’ve stuck with me through thick and thin. They’ve stuck with me through my mistakes, and s**t that’s been in the press. I believe in the people that are within the organisation. And I want to be the best teammate I can be to them, because I think we can make the brand even better, more accessible, even stronger than it is. And I think I can be an integral part of that.’
Hamilton made a suggestion that if he was still having fun with what he was doing, he might continue for another five seasons.
‘I’m trying to analyse my year and analyse my next three-to-five-year plan. It’s difficult to do 10,’ he added.
‘Where do I see myself? What are the things I want to do? What are my goals? And I’m adding in lots of business things. I have a lot of successful, really positive things that have lots of opportunity for success outside.
But I want to keep racing. I love what I do. I’ve been doing it for 30 years, and I don’t feel that I should have to stop. I think I’m currently still earning my keep, I would say. I want to do better, still. But I am planning to be here longer.’