05 July 2023 , 15:10
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Lewis Hamilton has been told to make sure he is ready for Formula 1 retirement before he finally decides to walk away.
The seven-time world champion is 38 years old and will have celebrated another birthday before the start of next season. And his current Mercedes contract has less than six months to run.
But his intention is to put pen to paper on an extension. That's despite previous assertions that he would not still be racing in F1 beyond 40.
So it remains very unlikely that this season will be Hamilton's last in F1. So he is set to follow his old rival Fernando Alonso in still driving after his 40th birthday.
Given his many extra-curricular passions outside F1, Hamilton would no doubt still be busy if he did choose to quit. But former racer David Coulthard has warned his fellow Brit that he must still make sure he is absolutely ready to say goodbye.
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"Lewis has had an incredible journey in life, with his achievements on the track and his exposure off it," he told the Press Association. "He has got a very healthy view of how it is being Lewis Hamilton – the Formula 1 driver that goes from country to country – and Lewis Hamilton – the individual, the personality, the celebrity.
"But none of those personality-driven events he goes to will ever give him the adrenaline buzz he gets from racing a Formula 1 car. Very few things in life will ever give him that feeling so when the time does arrive for him to retire, he has to be certain he is ready to stop."
David Coulthard weighed in on Hamilton's contract talks with Mercedes (AP)To continue next year, though, Hamilton and Mercedes will have to eventually come to an agreement. That looked to be a formality with both sides publicly stating their desire to strike a deal, yet as it stands no extension has been signed.
Coulthard believes the difference between the two parties is not over finances, but the other clauses involved in such contracts. He added: "Mercedes will want a certain amount of time from Lewis for their partners. Mercedes will have sold sponsorship on obtaining access to their drivers.
"Some businesses will have signed up with the Silver Arrows because Lewis is there, rather than George Russell. Perhaps Lewis might be wanting to do fewer days or have fewer commitments?
"What Lewis will be signing up for goes way beyond him driving at a Grand Prix. It is about what rights he retains in terms of his image, and what rights he sells to the team. Mercedes are buying more than just Lewis’ driving services. They are buying his promotional image and his PR image."