Lewis Hamilton believes, physically, he could continue in Formula 1 for another decade.
The soon-to-be seven-time world champion is set to turn 36 in January, making him the third-oldest driver on the grid next season.
But whereas every sportsman has that point where they start to pass their peak, in Hamilton’s case he thinks that moment is still some way off.
“I think there’s the human body clock part but I think I’m a long way away from that if I’m really honest,” he said ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Friday.
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“You look at Michael Schumacher, he was still very fit at 43 years old. It’s all a state of mind and how you want to apply your time, how much training you want to do, the boring stuff like stretching and really looking after your ‘temple’ or whatever.
“Then it’s if you’re still hungry. I think for sure I will know – as I think I know myself very well now – when I won’t want to do it anymore. I will know when it just doesn’t do it for me anymore.
“I honestly don’t think I’m not going to be able to drive. I think if I want it – and I know how to apply myself – I think I’ll be able to do it. I don’t think my reactions will tail off until I’m at least in my mid-40s.”
Indeed, commenting on Hamilton after his record-breaking 92nd victory in Portugal, Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle believes one of the keys to his success is the fact he doesn’t reflect his age.
“I think he’s got the full complement of skills, he works really hard and he’s 35-years-old going on about 27 or 28 from what I can see,” he commented.
“He just doesn’t appear to be that age, what’s really interesting looking back on last weekend when [we had] track limits, the bane of our lives where drivers can run wide and gain time, over 200 laps were deleted for going beyond the track limits in Portimao, not a single one of them was Lewis Hamilton.
“He carries the speed, he’s not dirty on the track at all, he very rarely gets into skirmishes and he’s got all of the ingredients to make him a winning machine.
“I don’t see any sign of that fading away, if anything he’s just using his experience better.”
Despite what might sound like a doomsday scenario for his rivals, that being the Hamilton/Mercedes express continuing for many years to come, Lewis admits it is unlikely that will be the case.
“I’m not going to be here for that long. I’ve got other things I want to do,” he said. “I’ll keep doing it because I love doing it right now and I feel like I’m getting better.
“I’m able to apply myself more efficiently year on year, as I continue to learn about myself. I think that’s a beautiful process, learning the good and the bad and how to navigate through that.”
At this point, Hamilton hasn’t even confirmed his place on the grid for next season, though confirmed he was simply delaying talks until after the championships are decided.
