SUMMARY
- Age and recent performance fuel speculation about Lewis Hamilton's retirement despite his illustrious career achievements.
- Transition to Ferrari raises doubts amid concerns over the team's performance and dynamics.
The sluggish start to the 2024 season for Lewis Hamilton has thrown his future into question. Following a miserable five races, sitting in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, the 7x champion seems to be beyond his peak. Although he has signed a contract with Ferrari from 2025 onwards, whispers of retirement surround Hamilton time and again.
Dismissing the British sensation after a few lackluster races would be a grave mistake. With years of expertise in high-stress circumstances, he has developed a remarkable racecraft. He tested the limits of what was thought to be a rookie driver Max Verstappen in the infamous race of 2021, proving his capacity to transform and survive in the face of mounting stress.
Should Lewis Hamilton call it quits after a disappointing start to the 2024 F1 season?
Unquestionably, Hamilton is reaching the end of his career at the age of 39. Age does not always imply that skill has declined, but the expectations of racing in Formula 1 are high. It might be more challenging to become accustomed to a car that fails to match his driving style. The driver has recently claimed to drive in his 40s like Fernando Alonso. However, age might cause a further decline in performance.
🗣️ | Rosberg Calls Out Lewis Hamilton On His ‘Excuce’ After P9 In China
👉 | To be fair to the seven-time World Champion, he said he is trying to help his team collect more valuable data and find the car’s sweet spot. pic.twitter.com/Jtxo96aXl6
— Racing Infinity (@RacingInfinity1) April 24, 2024
With the expanding driver market with fresh talents like Oscar Piastri, Oliver Bearman, and Liam Lawson, keeping up with the new-age racers might be demotivating for Hamilton. In the following years, he will be paired with the young gun Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque is the top priority for Scuderia Ferrari as of today. With the intense dynamics of the two drivers in a team that is often inconsistent, Hamilton might find it tough to earn his much-anticipated 8th championship title.
Although the Briton hoped to end his final year in Mercedes on a high note, the W15 has also been offering a rather lackluster performance. This might instill fear in his future team as they had to let go of their recent start performer, Carlos Sainz, in order to make room for Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton confirms retirement plan ahead of Suzuka race
Despite a rough start to the 2024 season, Lewis Hamilton is not ready to throw in the towel just yet. However, his recent struggles and upcoming 40th birthday have prompted him to consider life after racing. Alonso had raised concerns about the long and tedious F1 calendars at the start of the season. Nonetheless, the extensive and rigorous nature of the sport lately might inspire Hamilton to retire as well.
“Conversei com tantos atletas incríveis, de Boris Becker a Serena Williams, até mesmo Michael Jordan, que estão aposentados, ou alguns que ainda estão competindo, e o medo do que está por vir”.
Lewis Hamilton sobre aposentadoria. O atleta assinou contrato com a Ferrari até 2026 pic.twitter.com/dlrFtqKbqJ
— Lista Preta (@listapreta) April 9, 2024
Inspired by conversations with other sports legends, Hamilton is already eyeing his next ventures. In his conversation with GQ, Lewis Hamilton stated, “The difficult thing is I want to do everything. To be a master at something, there’s the 10,000 hours it takes. Obviously, I’ve done that in racing. There’s not enough time to master all of these different things.”
When questioned about his plans after Formula 1, Hamilton shared, “Well, I think it’s going to be film and fashion. I’d spoken to so many amazing athletes, from Boris Becker to Serena Williams, even Michael Jordan. Talking to greats that I’ve met along the way, who are retired, or some that are still in competition, and the fear of what’s next, the lack of preparation for what’s next.”
Fashion and filmmaking top his list, with a Hollywood motorsport movie collaboration with Brad Pitt already underway. Although he has a lot of interesting things in store for the future, Hamilton is determined to round off his Mercedes career strongly before stepping away from the wheel.