Lewis Hamilton has spoken candidly about the prospect of retiring from Formula 1, saying that whilst he “definitely [has] thought about it“, he has no immediate plans as he’s “loving [driving] more than ever“.
Speaking on the Jonathan Ross show Hamilton said that whilst he’s enjoying Formula 1, he’s been actively finding areas to work on outside of the sport to focus on when he retires.
“If you look at all of the Formula One drivers in the past… When you’re at Formula One you’re in the spotlight, you’re at the top of the world, then it’s downhill from then on, you don’t earn the same money, there’s not a huge amount of opportunities because you’ve been in that world for so long.”
“I’ve been there since I was eight. For me at the moment, these past five, six years I’ve really been trying to work on what I enjoy outside of the sport so that when I stop I can walk away and still have other things.
“Every year I’m assessing the plan.”
Hamilton regularly gives fans glimpses of these other projects, with music being one that he’s particularly passionate about. This week news broke about Hamilton recording with rapper Frank Ocean, though he has noted interests in everything from fashion to acting – having appeared in both Cars 3 and Zoolander 2 in the last year.
Whilst Lewis’ contract only runs to the end of next season, the thirty-two believed to be seeking out a new contract with the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
That’s not to say that he hasn’t considered retiring though – the Brit says it’s something he has, and continues to, consider.
“There’s been talks about [retiring] and I definitely have thought about it and there’s been times when I’ve thought there’s other things I want to do, but then we’re in the heat of this battle right now and I’m loving it more than ever.”
“The training, all the work that you put into something, and then you get to really show your abilities. It’s the greatest feeling ever so I’m going to keep going for as long as I can and see what I can do.“
