Lewis Hamilton still feels at his peak but accepts age will start to become a factor “at some point”.
The six-time world champion is now the second-oldest driver on the grid having celebrated his 35th birthday earlier this month and will enter his 14th Formula 1 season in 2020.
But while a little worried at the prospect of being the grandfather battling it out with the kids, Hamilton insists he doesn’t feel that way.
“I need to start paying Kimi [Raikkonen] to stay so I’m not the oldest,” he joked referring to the now 40-year-old Finn to GQ.
“Luckily, I think he’s going to keep going and I don’t feel old at all. I feel as young as ever. I feel fit, fitter than ever.
“Everything just works better now, with the experience I have. I don’t even think it’s harder to stay physically in shape, although I’m sure that will inevitably tail off at some point.”
Certainly, Hamilton’s physique isn’t showing any signs of age at this point but whereas Michael Schumacher was known for his rigorous workout regiment even during Grand Prix weekend, Lewis admits he is a little more relaxed in his approach.
“It’s different for all of us,” he explained. “What would work for Michael won’t work for me. You always have to find your own way.
“You can easily overload yourself mentally and the mental side is key. That’s something I’ve managed to master and the physical side is still very key, too.
“The cars are getting faster and faster and we’re breaking records, that means the cars are getting more physical with the G-forces we have.
“Bringing a gym to a track doesn’t work for me. I don’t train during race weekends, it doesn’t serve me well, I’ve tried in the past.
“It’s all about having 100 per cent energy through the race weekend for me. It’s not that one does more than the other. It’s about how you balance it.”
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Also key is diet and as while the pros and cons of Hamilton’s veganism have been debated, he claims it is the best move he made.
“Ultimately, you want to feel great,” he said. “You want to have energy, to be consistent.
You don’t want to have the big oscillations and highs and lows in your energy levels. Veganism has eradicated that.
“But I’m always looking at how I can improve. Can my eyesight be better? Can my reactions be improved? Are there new ways of testing my reactions?
The ergonomics in the car… how can I make everything simpler? There’s a multitude of things and I’m always trying to raise the bar.
“One of the things was my sleeping pattern and not feeling right in the stomach. Your gut is your second brain,” he explained.
“We’re taught to drink milk and eat meat for protein and I started looking into other areas of research around all this.
“The first thing was, what’s happening to the animals? Secondly, the impact it can have on your body. That’s a free advantage I’m going to take. If no one else wants it, well that’s their loss.”
