Hamilton has ‘plenty left in the tank’ after reaching 300 F1 race landmark

Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton celebrated his 300th grand prix start at Paul Ricard, becoming only the sixth driver in history to reach the milestone.

At 37, Hamilton is the second-oldest driver on the grid, only behind Fernando Alonso, and has previously talked down the chances of him still racing in F1 when he is 40.

But Mercedes F1 boss Wolff suggested on Saturday that recent discussions with Hamilton about the future of their partnership covered a 5-10 year period, adding: “I think we can go to 400.”

Hamilton recorded his best result of the season in France as he finished second behind 2021 title rival Max Verstappen, leading home Mercedes team-mate George Russell in third place.

Asked about the 400-race landmark and the possibility of a long-term stay in F1, Hamilton replied: “That’s a lot of races!

“I firstly just want to be grateful to get to this point. But I still feel fresh and still feel like I’ve got plenty of fuel left in the tank.

“I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’m really, really proud and enjoying arriving every day and working with this incredible group of people.

“I’m also enjoying working with the sport more than ever. We’ve got some great people leading the sport and having great conversations about the direction we’re going as a sport.

“So I’m enjoying it more than ever.”

Hamilton has been a leading voice pushing for action in F1 to improve diversity and inclusion, aided by his Mission 44 initiative and Ignite, his joint charity with Mercedes.

After narrowly missing out on a record-breaking eighth world title last year, Hamilton has struggled to match his recent championship-winning form so far this season as Mercedes failed to match the performance of Red Bull and Ferrari under the new technical regulations.

Hamilton’s existing Mercedes F1 deal expires at the end of next season, but he was clear about wanting to return to fighting for victories once again in F1 with the team.

“Of course, I want to get back to winning ways and that’s going to take time, but I’m sure we’ll sit down at some stage and talk about the future,” Hamilton said.

“But again, just with our team, I always want to continue to be building. It’s one thing having races, but it’s also continuing the work that we do outside and doing more, which I think Mercedes and us can always do more, and we will.”