Lewis Hamilton says he understands the plight of drivers facing uncertain Formula 1 futures having feared for his seat at Mercedes.
Currently, several established names are in that very situation with veteran’s Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean reportedly vying for one seat at Haas, while Robert Kubica’s comeback is in jeopardy at Williams.
In the case of Hamilton, it may appear like he’s never had to worry about his F1 future, having decided of his own accord to switch from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013.
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However, the five-time champion insists his seat hasn’t always been so comfortable.
“For sure, I sympathise with the guys who are in those positions because of course when I’ve come to negotiations in the past, I’ve not always had all the options, and I still had to figure out what I was going to do moving forward,” he said.
“I’ve had times where I’ve not performed very well and I’ve thought ‘jeez I’m going to lose my seat’, but I’ve been very fortunate to keep it, so I’m grateful to continue on this incredible journey with Mercedes.”
Perhaps the biggest risk posed to Hamilton’s position came at the end of 2016 when he lost the world title to Nico Rosberg and their partnership had become unmanageable, particularly after Lewis had defied the team in Abu Dhabi.
Had Nico not retired several days later, it is still one of those questions that we might never know the answer to, of what the repercussions would have been.
Looking ahead though, as he closes in on title number six, Hamilton admits he is hoping Mercedes will want to renew again when his future i discussed post-2020.
“There is a point at some stage where I’m going to have to negotiate with them again, and I hope they want to keep me,” he said. “I just have to keep doing a good job.”