Having clinched the title of Formula One Champion seven times, Lewis Hamilton confidently expressed his intentions of returning to the circuit with “unfinished business,” following his recent contract extension with Mercedes. Hamilton, along with George Russell, his teammate, set their stakes with Mercedes till the culmination of the 2025 season.
With a grin during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Hamilton announced, “You’re all stuck with me for a little longer,” further adding, “Honestly, I couldn’t be happier to be extending with this team. We’ve had an incredible journey together. Mercedes have supported me since I was thirteen, we’ve come a long way, and we still have unfinished business.”
Hamilton’s current contract was set to finish at the completion of the ongoing season. Yet, the new agreement, allegedly valued at 50 million pounds, ensures that the superstar will be racing even after his 40th birthday.
“I didn’t foresee myself at this age, so physically and mentally invigorate,d and still in love with what I do,” the 38-year-old Hamilton expressed gratitude. He added, “…still loving the car, still enthusiastic about racing with my peers, and pursuing that goal and dream. There’s nothing incomparable to having those feelings merged.”
With Thursday’s revelation, rumors of Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes by year-end were put to rest. Despite the challenging previous two seasons, he expressed absolute certainty about his future engagements.
Having been a part of the Mercedes team since 2013, Hamilton has earned six of his seven global titles with this team. However, the last couple of years haven’t been particularly fruitful as Max Verstappen controversially outpaced Hamilton on the closing lap of the F1 title in 2021. Ever since then, Hamilton and Mercedes have been on a quest to restore their former glory.
Verstappen anticipates a record-breaking tenth consecutive victory this weekend. Hamilton, credited with a record 103 race victories, has not savored a triumph in the last two years.
Contrary to discussions of revenge or redemption, Hamilton said, “That’s in the past, there’s nothing we can do about the past. My energy is directed towards winning more championships and more races with this team.”
Hamilton currently stands fourth in the lineup, trailing Verstappen, the series leader, by 183 points’ margin. Despite their intense and heated competition over the years, Verstappen sees Hamilton’s ongoing involvement as positive for the sport. Verstappen commented, “It’s good for the sport. With the battles, I mean, we just have to wait and see what happens between the teams…”
