Lewis Hamilton has suggested he could stay in Formula 1 for five more years.
The Briton is in hot pursuit of two significant records in the sport, the 91 wins and seven world championships held by Michael Schumacher.
Certainly, it is odds on that the Mercedes driver will move within sight of those totals this season with a sixth title looking likely and four wins already moving to 77 for his F1 career.
But with his current contract expiring after next year and big ambitions away from the sport, many wonder how long Hamilton will continue.
“Michael retired when he was 38, I’m 33 so I mean in my and I can definitely do five years,” Hamilton told veteran TV host David Letterman on his Netflix show.
“I am ridiculously determined to win.”
Also Read:
- Hamilton warns his performances ‘will get better’ this season
- Hamilton: Formula E ‘is the future’ and could be a post-F1 option
- F1 will only accept Hamilton as good as Schumacher after he retires – Wolff
Given Hamilton is now 34, it is possible those five years would stretch until the end of 2023 but that is still plenty of time to surpass Schumacher and set a whole new standard for future F1 generations.
And talking about his focus, Lewis says it comes from his upbringing in Stevenage.
“What really drives me is that I feel the people I race against may lack that fire, when we were young, and just how hard that I had to work,” he explained.
“I’ve got this opportunity that I could easily let go of right now, but I feel like I would be squandering it if I didn’t continue to improve, grow, push.
“So I’ve got to keep going for as long as I can basically until I’m not enjoying it.”
