Lewis Hamilton plans to stay in F1 ‘at least three more years’

Lewis Hamilton expects to continue racing in Formula 1 for the “foreseeable future” and says he sees himself “going for at least another three years” before he considers retirement.

The reigning world champion is in the final year of his current contract with Mercedes but is expected to remain with the German manufacturer as negotiations over his next F1 deal continue.

Hamilton can equal Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of seven world championships if he wins another drivers’ title this year and the Briton already holds a five-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas in the 2020 standings, having claimed two victories from the opening three races.

Asked if he could guarantee his fans that he would be back racing at Silverstone again in 2021 ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Hamilton insisted that remains his goal and suggested the delays caused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic provided him with “renewed energy”.

“I don’t think you can guarantee anything but I plan to be here for sure, that’s definitely the goal,” Hamilton explained.

“In terms of how long I go, that’s a bit of an unknown. The COVID lockdown, whilst it was a negative in many, many ways, in some ways it gave a lot of life, a lot of energy to focus on some other things.

“That bit of time off was really a bit of breathing space, so it has kind of given me a bit of renewed energy to perhaps go longer.

“Ultimately, I want to be able to perform at the level I am performing at now forever, but obviously there is a point at which physicality and the mental side can tail off.

“I don’t know when that will be but I don’t see that happening in the short-term, in the next two or three years. So, I’m definitely going to be here for the foreseeable future.”

The Briton, who has been championing the sport’s push in the fight against racism and inequality as F1’s only black driver, also revealed he feels he still needs to “earn” his position in the sport, which is acting as additional motivation for him to continue.

“There’s not another driver from my background coming and I’m conscious of that as well,” Hamilton said.

“I want to earn my position here and I feel like every year I come back it’s not a given. Just because I’ve got world championships under my belt, I think you still have to earn the right to be here in terms of how you perform and continuing to deliver.

“So my goal is to continue to deliver for as long as I can. I do see myself going for at least another three years.”