Lewis Hamilton has already thought several times to leave Formula 1, although that moment seems to be postponed for the time being. Hamilton will make the switch to the Ferrari team, where he hopes to continue his successes of this season. However, there will also come a time when the driver will close the door completely behind him.
Hamilton has had the chance to fill his prize cabinet again this season. The Mercedes driver has Mercedesalso succeeded, as the Briton managed to achieve both his 104th and 105th victory. If Mercedes manages to maintain the momentum of before the summer break, then the seven-time world champion has a chance to make even more victories. As a result, Hamilton can play a significant role in the title battle, if the Mercedes driver does not see himself taking the championship.
Hamilton seems to have to wait at least a year. The driver will ride for the Ferrari team next season. The man from Stevenage will start the 2025 season as forty years. The driver’s retirement is closer. “There are days when I think: I don’t know how long I can keep this up. And there are days when I think: I would like a break, a real pause,” Hamilton says in conversation with Esquire.
“You don’t really get a big break during the season like in other sports,” the Mercedes driver continues. The summer break takes three weeks in Formula 1 and also between the Singapore-US Grands Prix there are three weeks. Hamilton does not think that is enough rest. “You’re only done at the end of December, and then you have to start training again in January. So you’re not really getting a big break. And in February, you’ll be fully in action until December.”
Hamilton knows when it’s time to stop
At Ferrari, Hamilton will look for his eighth world title. The Italian team must take all the stops to have a competitive car by 2025, so Hamilton may set his sights on 2026. Then the Brit comes close to the age that Fernando Alonso is now. “Is there a moment when I don’t go for it anymore and just don’t like it anymore? That is the moment I hope never comes, in the sense that I have lost the love of this profession. But I’ll know when it’s time to stop,” Hamilton said.