Crucial moment for Hamilton: "What's keeping him here?"

Lewis Hamilton is entering his seventeenth F1 season, in 2023. Nothing is yet set for 2024 for the Briton, and that is what makes former F1 champion Damon Hill question him. Hill wonders what keeps Hamilton still in F1 and what his future plans are.

What will keep Hamilton in F1

Hill is sure that Hamilton can physically hold out for a long time in Formula 1, but takes his own father as an example and wonders how long you should want to keep going as an athlete. Hill writes in his column for Telegraph.com that quitting F1 is very difficult, almost as difficult as getting into Formula 1.

Hill: "The question is, what is keeping him here? Is it just about getting that eighth title? Will he retire if he does it? Or is it because he wants to keep racing for the love of it?" If Hamilton gets his eighth World Cup title, he will have overtaken Michael Schumacher and will be the driver with the most titles to his name.

Crucial moment for Hamilton

Looking at the fact that Hamilton has not yet signed a contract for 2023, but that both the Briton and the Mercedes team have said they are keen to continue working together in the coming years, Hill wonders why there is no contract yet: "One possible explanation is that both sides are waiting to see just how competitive Mercedes are before committing to a new deal." If Mercedes is not at the top again in 2023, Hamilton would be less eager to commit to Mercedes for several years.

Hill: "Or perhaps it is the team who are dragging their heels? Lewis does not come cheap. He gives Mercedes a lot but he costs them a lot too. In George Russell they have a young driver who might be capable of delivering a title in the right car." Hill leaves it to Hamilton and Mercedes. His conclusion is: "One thing we do know is it’s a critical moment in the career of one of the sport’s all-time greats"