Former McLaren driver David Coulthard believes Lewis Hamilton will stay on at Mercedes for two more years before retiring in 2020.
The current world champion is in the final year of his current deal with the German manufacturer and despite regularly insisting that an extension is merely a formality, a new contract remains unsigned.
The ex-driver turned pundit for UK broadcaster Channel 4 doesn’t think the delay is a sign of Hamilton considering retirement already, however, instead believing he will stay on until the sport potentially faces a huge overhaul.
“I think that he’ll go to 2020 which is [the end of] the current Concorde Agreement, the agreement between the commercial rights holder, the FIA and the teams,” he said in an interview on BBC’s Graham Norton show.
“Beyond 2020 there’s every likelihood he may well be releasing his first [music] album which he’s been working on.”
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Should the 33-year-old re-sign for 2019, that would also please his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas who himself is facing pressure from the likes of Daniel Ricciardo for his seat next season.
“Of course, it would be nice that Lewis stays too, because I enjoy working with him,” the Finn claimed.
“The fact that he was won four championships and me none pushes me to outdo myself. We work well together and that is why I would rather stay with Lewis on this team.”
