But despite the lows of last year’s Abu Dhabi controversy, the competitive struggles with Mercedes this season, and renewed angst caused by Red Bull’s cost cap overspend, the seven-time champion is clear that his passion for racing has not cooled.
In fact, despite having many good reasons to walk away from F1 and go pursue interests he has elsewhere, the desire to stick with his current team is stronger than ever.
For there is no ‘if’ about a contract extension with Mercedes beyond the end of 2023. It’s only a question of when.
“We are going to do another deal,” he tells selected media, including Motorsport.com, in an interview at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
“We’re going to sit down and we’re going to discuss it in these next couple of months, I would say.
“My goal is to continue to be with Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13. And it really is my family: Mercedes-Benz is my family.
“They’ve stuck with me through thick and thin. They stuck with me through being expelled at school. They stuck with me through everything that was going on through 2020. They’ve stuck with me through my mistakes, and shit that’s been in the press; they’ve stuck with me through the ups and downs.
“I really believe in this brand. I believe in the people that are within the organisation. And I want to be the best teammate I can be to them, because I think we can make the brand even better, more accessible, even stronger than it is. And I think I can be an integral part of that.”
Abu Dhabi fallout
While Hamilton is enthusiastic about his future with Mercedes in F1, it’s fair to say that the turbulence he has endured since that controversial safety car restart in Abu Dhabi last year has not been easy to navigate through.
Reflecting on his emotions in the wake of Abu Dhabi, as he disconnected from the public spotlight, he plays down talk that he came close to walking away.
“[It] feels like years ago,” he said. “I mean, it was definitely spirit-breaking, or soul-crushing, whatever you want to call it. Was I ever truly not going to come back? I am not one to give up like that, really.”
However, while quitting was never on the table, that’s not to say that the pain of the Abu Dhabi loss – and especially the circumstances of the FIA bending its own rules – did not cut deep.
“What really was breaking was to just believe that the sport would do something like that, that that would happen…
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