Lewis Hamilton clearly states that he has no plans to retire from Formula 1, his close relative.
The seven-time world champion has endured a difficult start to life at Ferrari, and is comprehensively outperformed by teammate Charles Leclair in both qualifying and racing.
Hamilton is still waiting for his first Grand Prix podium as a Ferrari driver, and has recently raised doubts about his future with a series of inexplicable comments over the ferocious Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
The 40-year-old Brit described himself as “absolutely useless” and insisted that Ferrari should replace him after he placed 12th in Hungary, but he was brighter with the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix, whom he felt had made progress in SF-25.
Hamilton now dismissed the possibility that he would quit the race “anytime soon.”
“I’m not going to stop anytime soon,” Hamilton told the French publication L’Equipe.
Hamilton joked that his future will link with former McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, who turned 44 in July, and will continue racing Aston Martin until at least the end of 2026.
“I’m really grateful that Fernando Alonso continues, as it means that Fernando Alonso is older than me. I’ll continue until he turns 50!”
Several observers, including the former Formula One Spree Moberny Ecclestone, have urged Hamilton to quit the sport.
“Lewis was extremely talented and probably still is,” Ecclestone recently told the Daily Mail. “But like many major sports personalities when it comes to the top, there’s only one way to go and that’s not in the right direction. It’s just down.
“They’re tired. Lewis is tired. He’s doing what he’s doing forever. He needs to rest from it. He needs a complete reset to do something completely different.
“The guy isn’t a cheat, but if he continues he’s going to be tricking himself.
“He should stop now. If I’m looking after him, I’ll immediately negotiate with Ferrari and say, “If there’s someone who replaces Lewis, he’ll come aside.”
“If I were Lewis, I would have told Ferrari that I wanted all my contracts to be paid in full. They signed him because they thought he could do the job.
Lewis Hamilton loves F1 “more than anything”
Hamilton, unmarried and childless, also spoke about his passion for Formula 1 and his sporting demands.
“I’ve always been impressed with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and other greats like Tom Brady who have a family and keeps giving it everything,” he said.
“For me, it didn’t happen. It’s not a priority. My priorities have always been my love for Formula 1. The love of my life is Formula 1.
“I love this job more than anything. My nie and my family will always be a priority, but… I don’t like to do things along the way. I don’t give 100%. I’m not saying that others won’t.
“I don’t want to be in a position where I have to choose, I struggle to make sure my family is successful, the race goes bad and my family is successful.
“At the moment, I don’t have to choose. I’m happy to focus on one thing, and even if I sacrifice everything for it, it’s very difficult to succeed.
“Of course, I imagined how wonderful it would be if one of my kids came to see the Ferrari and was surprised by it and could board and share this universe.
And Hamilton struggles to see him return to the F1 paddock when he finally cuts his helmet.
“I don’t know if I really want to go back or not,” Hamilton added. “I don’t imagine myself coming to the circuit and staying in the garage.
“I see other people doing it a bit, and maybe a month later, that will change.