Lewis Hamilton isn’t planning to retire anytime soon, and he’s got Fernando Alonso to thank for it.
Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe, Hamilton couldn’t help but crack a joke about his future in Formula 1.
“I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. I really appreciate that Fernando continues, because it means that he is older than me. I’m just going to keep going, until he’s 50.”
The seven-time world champion seems to be using his rival’s longevity as both motivation and cover for his own career plans.
But Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.
Sixteen races in, and he still hasn’t stepped onto the podium. Meanwhile, his teammate Charles Leclerc has been there five times already.
Things got particularly tense in Hungary when Hamilton called himself “useless” and suggested the team might want to look at other drivers.
It’s been a tough adjustment period.
The truth is, Hamilton hasn’t been quite the same dominant force we saw during Mercedes’ glory years. Those days when he seemed practically unbeatable feel increasingly distant.
Some fans and experts are starting to wonder: has Lewis passed his prime?
David Coulthard didn’t mince words when addressing this question on Channel 4.
“The old cliche is it never rains, but it pours. It just feels that off the back of the end of his Mercedes run alongside George, he’d lost his mojo there.”
“We hoped that he would rediscover it at Ferrari, be energised by the power of the Tifosi, but it just hasn’t worked out.”
Coulthard knows his take might ruffle some feathers among Hamilton’s devoted fans.
“This is not an opinion business, because I know there’ll be people at home going, ‘how dare you say something negative about Lewis Hamilton?'”
But racing is ultimately about results, not reputation.
“The guy is brilliant, and he has been brilliant, but you’re judged against your teammate, and that’s the one thing that stands between him right now and a big result. He’s got to consistently get in front of Charles.”
For a driver with 103 race wins to his name, being outperformed by his teammate isn’t just disappointing—it’s unfamiliar territory.
Still, if Hamilton sticks to his word about racing into his forties, he’s got plenty of time to turn things around at Ferrari.
