Lewis Hamilton is not considering stepping away from Formula 1, dismissing claims from individuals “attempting to retire me” who believe he should end his distinguished career.
Hamilton declared his intention to continue in F1 for a considerable period, planning to stay with Ferrari for several upcoming seasons. Upon joining the Maranello team, Hamilton penned a multi-year agreement, reportedly for three years, which would see him through to the close of 2027 under his present contract.
Following a challenging 2025 where Hamilton found it difficult to adjust to Ferrari, the champion, with seven titles, has experienced a more promising commencement to the current season after modifications were made to his garage team. Previous race engineer Riccardo Adami departed, and Hamilton is presently being engineered by Carlo Santi temporarily.
Discussing his prospects, Hamilton reaffirmed his contractual commitment with Ferrari until 2027 and expressed that he remains “highly motivated” to race in F1. If the deal is indeed for three years, Hamilton will reach 42 years of age by its conclusion.
“Indeed. I am still under contract. Therefore, everything is absolutely clear for me. And yes, I remain focused. I am still driven,” Hamilton asserted.
“I continue to wholeheartedly love my profession. And I will be present here for a good while longer. So become accustomed to it. Many individuals are attempting to prompt my retirement. And that idea hasn’t even crossed my mind.
“I am already contemplating what comes next. And formulating plans for the subsequent five years. But yes, I still intend to be involved for a considerable duration.”
A number of commentators had urged Hamilton to contemplate retiring from racing in recent weeks; former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, now a television analyst for Sky Sports Germany, proposed that both Hamilton and the 44-year-old Fernando Alonso ought to “provide opportunities for younger talents” instead of persisting in F1.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Nevertheless, both racing drivers have demonstrated that contemporary competitors can achieve extended careers and maintain competitiveness into their 40s, much like Kimi Raikkonen; the understated Finn raced in F1 until his retirement at the age of 42.
Hamilton’s position has been associated with Oliver Bearman from Haas, a talent nurtured by Ferrari’s driver development program, but it appears Bearman will need to wait a minimum of another year before being considered for a Ferrari drive.
Hamilton: Ferrari’s Simulator Impressive, Yet Data Analysis Preferred
While simulation tools have become an increasingly crucial component of driver readiness for race weekends, Hamilton is famously not a great enthusiast; specifically, he opted not to utilize the Ferrari simulator at its Maranello facility prior to the Montreal event.
Instead, he opted to concentrate on collaborating with his engineers to evaluate the data from the initial four races, aiming to refine the equilibrium of his Ferrari SF-26, especially regarding braking performance.
He explained that this choice stemmed from his more extensive use of Ferrari’s simulator during the previous year, which he believed frequently presented an inaccurate representation of the circumstances encountered during various race weekends.
“I did not utilize a simulator,” he verified. “Firstly, the simulator is extraordinary. It provides an exceptional environment for work. It is the finest simulator I have ever encountered. The most competent team of individuals, a substantial group, whom I collaborate with there. Consequently, a day spent at the simulator is genuinely quite remarkable.
“It stands as an exceptionally potent instrument and something that, as a team, we continuously refine. I believe that since my arrival, I have contributed significantly to certain aspects of this progression, and they have been highly receptive, implementing numerous adjustments. We have simply been enhancing it.
“My perspective is, from the previous year, I employed it weekly. And quite frequently, I observed that after completing all the preparatory work on the simulator and arriving at the circuit with a comfortable setup, the track conditions would be entirely reversed. This necessitated unlearning what had been established.
“Certain cornering techniques you’ve adopted require alteration and adaptation. The car configuration that felt effective in the simulator is occasionally dissimilar on the actual track. At times, it matches.
“Therefore, its reliability is inconsistent. I simply resolved, for this particular event, to refrain from using it and to concentrate more on the empirical data. This involved extensive detailed analysis of, for instance, cornering stability, mechanical equilibrium, corner entry methods, braking bias, and enhancing the brakes, which have posed an issue for me for a while.
“And this has resulted in excellent collaboration with my engineering team. It is not a device I am declaring I will never use again. I believe it is certainly something we will continue to employ, especially concerning power delivery.
“Over the past half-year, my routine involved reviewing the simulator post-weekend to refine correlation. The idea was to improve its accuracy for subsequent runs, yet upon arriving at the next circuit, it would occasionally be a bit inaccurate.
“We shall observe the outcome of the weekend. However, for instance in China, I did not follow the same approach, and it turned out to be my strongest weekend.”
