Hamilton: ‘I don’t know if I’m going to be here next year’

Lewis Hamilton has dropped a bombshell on Formula 1 by suggesting he may not be in the sport next year.

Six-time F1 champion Hamilton remains without a contract for 2021 and beyond, and despite knowing he is physically capable of continuing for several more seasons, the 35-year-old has hinted he may yet call it a day.

Initially asked bout Toto Wolff’s plans, as the Mercedes motorsports boss has made clear he is unlikely to be around next season in his current position, Hamilton said: “I don’t even know if I’m going to be here next year, so it’s not really a concern for me at the moment.

“I understand, and we have a lot of deep conversations Toto and I so I’m very aware of where he is mentally, and we carry a lot of the weight together, I think.

“Jeez! Look, I’ve been here a long, long time and I can definitely understand wanting to pull back a little bit and give more time to family, and those things.”

Asked to clarify his remark, and whether there was a real chance he might not be racing in F1 next season, Hamilton added: “Naturally, I feel great, very strong, I feel like I could keep going for plenty of months.

“But you mentioned about Toto and shelf life, and there are multiple things that are on the top of my mind.

“I would like to be here next year but there’s no guarantee of that, for sure. There’s a lot that excites me with the afterlife [referring to life beyond racing], so time will tell.”

Source: planetf1.com; gpblog.com