02 September 2023 , 13:00
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Jacques Villeneuve is certain that Lewis Hamilton will only walk away from Formula 1 when he is no longer "enjoying the dream".
The seven-time world champion is a few months shy of his 39th birthday but showing no signs of slowing down. And he'll almost be 41 by the end of the new contract extension he has signed with Mercedes, which was finally announced this week.
Like the rest of the F1 world, Canadian former racer Villeneuve had been expecting the team to eventually make the deal official. "There's no surprise in the contract happening," the 1997 drivers' champion told Planet F1.
"There are reasons you know [for the delay]. Lewis will try to get as much as he can, not only financially but in other areas. And Mercedes will try to do the opposite. So there's a continuous little battle going on... that's normal. That's why you sign contracts. If it was simple, then it wouldn't be needed."
Like Fernando Alonso, 42, Hamilton also has a multi-year deal despite being the second oldest driver on the grid. The Brit had previously stated he likely wouldn't still be racing by the time he was 40 and admitted this week that even he is surprised that he has gone back on that statement.
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Hamilton cuts an energised figure these days despite his Mercedes team not being in the title race. As long as F1's record holder for race wins continues to feel that way about his racing, Villeneuve believes he will continue to compete in F1.
The Canadian added: "He's still younger than Alonso. Lewis is not showing his age, it's like Alonso, it's all down to how hungry someone is. And how one is willing to still push the envelope, the limit, and how much he's enjoying the dream he had as a little kid, which was to be a race car driver.
"If that dream goes away, that's when you start slowing down, not age. Mostly in the modern era where everyone eats better, and trains better. So I think that's pushed the age boundaries quite a lot."
And even though Hamilton's team is a long way off runaway leaders Red Bull at the moment, Villeneuve dismissed any suggestion that the seven-time world champion might not expect to be able to fight for the title again in his F1 career.
He said: "Mercedes were so far ahead, and no-one else gave up. It's possible that Red Bull arrives at a point where they can't evolve the car because they hit a wall in the development and Mercedes finds something. It's never the end, even without rule changes."