Lewis Hamilton could still be going at 42! Brit hints his new Mercedes deal could run until 2026 as he argues his best chance of challenging Max Verstappen will be after rule changes come in
Lewis Hamilton could still go on at age 42! Brit hints his new Mercedes deal could run until 2026, as he claims his best chance to challenge Max Verstappen will be after the rules change.
- Max Verstappen dominated Formula 1 this season, winning 10 of the 12 races
- Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton still dreams of an elusive eighth title
- The Mercedes star hinted he could stay in Formula 1 until the 2026 season
Lewis Hamilton has hinted his supposedly agreed Mercedes contract includes an option allowing him to stay in Formula 1 until the end of the 2026 season, just before his 42nd birthday.
That’s how long it will take the seven-time world champion to rein in the Red Bull giant, who he fears can take Max Verstappen to victory in all ten remaining races this year.
The first of those tests will take place for Verstappen’s ardent supporters at Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix, in which he will aim for a ninth consecutive victory to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record set in 2013.
While Hamilton hopes Mercedes can recover their form enough to take on the Red Bulls next season, he echoed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc’s suggestion that a regulation change – due in 2026 – may be needed before anyone can take on a title challenge. magic.
That said, Hamilton seems likely to have agreed in principle to a three-year or two-year contract with the option of a third as he plots the elusive eighth world title of his dreams.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has hinted his supposedly agreed Mercedes contract includes an option allowing him to stay in Formula 1 until the end of the 2026 season
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dominated Formula 1 this season, winning 10 of the 12 races
According to team boss Toto Wolff, Mercedes has already made agreements with Hamilton
According to team boss Toto Wolff, the conditions have already been agreed.
But oddly enough, Hamilton has yet to put pen to paper.
Speaking in rainy Zandvoort about Formula 1’s return after the summer break, the Briton said: “It is very possible that Charles Leclerc could be right, but we are working on the steep slope and trying to develop and ourselves to get us to finish the race. hole.
“There’s no rule change coming up, so I hope it won’t take that long. But the fact is they are hundreds of points ahead and probably started developing next year’s car a month earlier than anyone else.”
On Verstappen’s dominance – 10 wins from 12 races so far this season – Hamilton added: “Chances are that he will win every race. But wet weather here can spice things up.
“In Spa, which is not a strong circuit for us, we performed well on wet roads. I hope this is the case this weekend.
“The guys think this track is not much different from Budapest and that our car was good there.
“Even here last year, when the car wasn’t great, we were fighting closer to the front. George Russell was second and at one point I was chasing the lead.”