Lewis Hamilton plans to race for 'another five or six' years as he admits losing has got easier
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ByEurosport
Updated 20/07/2017 at 09:57 GMT
Lewis Hamilton says he will race for another “five or six years” but has no plans to remain in F1 as “a commentator or manager”.
Lewis Hamilton
Image credit: Getty Images
Speaking to tennis player Serena Williams on interviewmagazine.com, the three-times British world champion says he has one eye on the future when his career ends.
Hamilton is only one point behind Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari at the halfway stage of the 20-race season after winning the British Grand for a fifth time around Silverstone on Sunday.
"I've got five, six years left of my career in racing, and after that I want to avoid becoming a commentator or a manager,” said Hamilton.
Despite bidding for a fourth world title to go with his victories in 2008, 2014 and 2015, the Mercedes driver admits that he has finally learned to lose as he has got older.
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Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - Grand Prix of Great Britain 2017
Image credit: Getty Images
Only Michael Schumacher and his 91 wins is ahead of 32-year-old Hamilton's 57 victories with only four drivers winning four championships or more since the event began in 1950.
“It used to be the be-all and end-all. You know how it is - you've trained, you've made the mistakes before, you know how not to do it, and then you do it again, and you fail in such a spectacular way,” he said.
The fall feels like it's never-ending. It used to take me days to recover, literally. One time I didn't leave my hotel room for four days, I was so stuck in my head. But now, with maturity and age, I've realized that winning isn't everything.
“It's very much about the journey, particularly in my sport. There are so many people on my team, and I've got to be conscious of them. So while winning is definitely the ultimate goal, the lessons learned when I don't win only strengthen me."
Hamilton also says he has had to train to get himself in physical shape to drive an F1 car amid a perception that F1 drivers are not athletes.
“I'm constantly watching my weight for my job, and I've trained so hard this year to be ready for this season-more rigorously than ever— but people who tune in to Formula One have no comprehension of what we have to do to be fit,” said Hamilton.
It's so physical. This year, the car is way faster than when you came to the race. And the physicality has gone up quite a lot, at least 20 to 30 percent. People don't see that. They don't see us as athletes. They just see us driving.
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