Lewis Hamilton: ‘I don’t know if I’m going to be in F1 next year’

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he does not know whether he will continue to race in Formula 1 next season.

Hamilton led home a Mercedes 1-2 to help the team clinch a record seventh consecutive constructors’ world championship at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, putting him on the verge of winning his seventh drivers’ world title.

The Briton is out of contract at the end of the year but is widely expected to agree a new deal to remain with Mercedes for 2021 and beyond.

Following F1’s first race at Imola in 14 years, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff indicated that he could leave his current role next year.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be here next year, so it’s not really a concern for me at the moment,” Hamilton said when asked if he was concerned that Wolff could leave his position.

“I understand and we have a lot of deep conversations, Toto and I, so I am very, very aware of where he is mentally and we share and carry a lot of the weight together I think.

“I’ve been here a long, long time and I can definitely understand wanting to pull back a little bit and give time to things like family and those things. I don’t know who will replace him, he’s a leader. He’s not going to put anyone in who’s not going to be able to do the job, who’s not going to be up to it. He will find the right people.

“That’s why we have the success that we have because he’s find the right people and put them in the right places in the position to be able to shine as bright as possible.

“It’s just empowered every person in this team to be the best they can be, so he will find somebody that’s able to take it on. But this team is not about one person, it’s a collective of a lot of people. It’s a real team effort. I’m supportive of him whatever he wants to do moving forwards.”

When pressed on whether there’s a real chance he won’t be racing in F1 next year, Hamilton replied: “Well we are in November and it’s crazy that Christmas is not that far away.

“Naturally, I feel great and feel very strong. I feel like I could keep going for plenty of months, but on Toto and shelf life, so there’s multiple things that do stay on the top of my mind.

“I would like to be here next year but there’s no guarantee of that for sure. There’s a lot that excites me of the after life, so time will tell.”