LEWIS HAMILTON could well remain in Formula One for some time yet.
The seven-time world champion is contracted to Mercedes through to the end of 2023.
Hamilton and Russell are beginning to see positives in their Mercedes car
The reigning constructors champions have struggled with the new regulations
But there have been rumours he could still decide to leave the sport at the end of THIS year.
However, there have been subtle hints that Hamilton could in fact extend his stay with Mercedes beyond 2023 and remain in F1 for the foreseeable future.
After the Brit reached 300 Grands Prix last weekend, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed they had discussed Hamilton being around for another “5-10 years”.
The Stevenage-born racer then dampened those comments by insisting another 100 Grands Prix “is a lot of races” to think about at this stage of his career.
But, as reported by The Race, there are a number of reasons he could choose to stick around for a while longer.
Firstly, Hamilton is seen as a leader in the Mercedes garage and is being fuelled by a determination to improve their current car.
The Silver Arrows are off the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull but beginning to show signs of encouragement.
Then there is the fact that Hamilton’s ability has not dwindled and in recent weeks he has got the better of team-mate George Russell – a driver 13 years his junior.
On how he feels in the car, Hamilton said: “I still feel fresh and still feel like I’ve got plenty of fuel left in the tank.
“I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’m really, really proud and enjoying arriving every day working with this incredible group of people.
“I’m also enjoying working with the sport more than ever. We’ve got some great people leading the sport and having great conversations about the direction we’re going as a sport, so I’m enjoying it more than ever in that space.
“Of course, I want to get back to winning ways and that’s going to take time, but I’m sure we’ll sit down at some stage and talk about the future.
“But with our team, I always want to continue to be building. It’s one thing having races, but it’s also continuing the work that we do outside and doing more. And we will.”
There is also a long-term vibe to Hamilton’s current conversations, particularly when he talks about the development of the car and that “next year’s car is the one we can fight with”.
He wants to win again – and has eyes set on a record breaking eighth world title – but that may take some time, meaning an extended stay in F1.
But Hamilton also wants to continue to enact change off the track as well.
His Ignite charity is perhaps his most prominent off-track initiative, with Hamilton and Mercedes working together to try and get all 10 F1 teams to sign up to a charter put together by the Hamilton Commission.
So clearly there are still things for Hamilton to accomplish both in and out of the race car – and that may well mean he is around for a number of years to come.
