Lewis Hamilton has revealed he has a retirement plan in his head – but refused to spill too many details about when he’ll finally walk away from F1.
The 39-year-old has returned to form in recent weeks, having followed up his victory at the British Grand Prix with another win in Belgium last time out.
Hamilton isn’t going anywhere any time soon, having agreed to join Ferrari next year.
However, speaking in a recent interview with Esquire, the Briton confirmed he had a plan in place for when he’d eventually call time on his glittering career.
“I definitely do,” he said when asked if he had a time frame for his career.
“There are days I’m like, shoot, I don’t know how much longer I can go. There are days I’m like, shoot, I’d love a break, a proper break, because you don’t get a real big break in the season like other sports.
“You don’t finish until mid to late December, and then you’re back into training already in January, and that’s two times a day you’re training.
“There are another couple of hours of therapy that you’re doing during that time as well. So you’re not really getting a huge amount of downtime.
“And in February, you’re flat out running until December.”
He continued: “But I do have mentally a plan of where I would like to extend to.
“I’ve just got to strategise and sequence things. I’m very much about sequencing, like looking at brands that I collaborate with, companies that I’m essentially starting, how I manage my time between all those, and how I’m able to dedicate myself to this job still.
“Is there a time when I’m not all in and I’m just not in love with it anymore? That’s the moment that hopefully never happens, in the sense that I’ve fallen out of love with it.
“But I will know when I need to stop.”
Hamilton says he’s keen to avoid having any retirement regrets.
He claims he’s spoken to other drivers who believe they walked away at the wrong time – with gives him the fuel to keep on going.
“I want to make sure I really max it out while I can and fully enjoy this sport I’ve done my whole life,” he continued.
“There are so many people that have finished their careers early, and I’ve spoken to many who’ve said they wish they could have just done one more year or two. And they’re like, ‘Stay in as long as you can!’
“But I don’t want to do it if I’m not good. So it’s like, how much do you want to train?
“When you’re 22, it’s so easy to work out and be fit. There’s no recovery and you’ve got nothing else going on, no other stresses, no real responsibilities except for that one thing to go and kill.
“Now it’s: How can you stay sharp and be able to do all those things you have going on, and still be able to compete with those young guys in their twenties?”
Hamilton is currently spending some time on his holidays amid the F1 break.
He will be hoping to win the next Grand Prix, which is due to take place in the Netherlands on August 25.
