Hamilton not yet thinking of retirement: 'A sabbatical might be better'

Lewis Hamilton held the World Championship with one hand at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but it was not to be for the Mercedes driver. Instead of an eighth world title for Hamilton, it became the first ever for Max Verstappen. Many think that eighth title is the end goal for the Briton, but according to him, that is not necessarily the case.

Hamilton: 'Never said an eighth title would be the end point'

According to the Mercedes driver, should Hamilton still manage to secure that record-breaking eighth world title in the coming years, it does not immediately mean he will hang up his helmet. "I never said that an eighth title would be the end point," the 39-year-old Briton said in conversation with Formula One Magazine.

What he will do after his career as an F1 driver, he does not yet know. "I don't necessarily feel in myself the desire to stay active in Formula 1 any longer after that, but as I said before, never say never," adds the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton says he cannot imagine standing in a pit box somewhere without driving himself. In that case, he thinks the desire would return to racing for another year anyway. "So probably it would be better to take a sabbatical and then see if I would still want to come back," he concludes.

The latter does not sound unfamiliar: previously, Fernando Alonso left motorsport's premier class, only to return two years later for a permanent F1 seat at Alpine. The now 42-year-old Spaniard swapped Alpine for the Aston Martin team in 2023, where he had a very successful season.