SPORTS: Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that Sebastian Vettel’s choice to leave Formula One at the conclusion of this season has caused him to consider his status as one of the sport’s veteran drivers.
Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Vettel made his plans known. If he participates in every race that is left, he will fall one race short of Hamilton’s 300-race mark.
The only driver on the grid with more starts than the two is Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton responded “No,” when asked if Vettel’s statement had made him rethink his own plans.
In his words:
“It serves as a reminder that I’m approaching the point in my career where the teammates I developed and raced with for so many years will begin to withdraw.”
“Fernando won’t be here for much longer, and when that happens, who will be left? I will be the senior. However, I haven’t given that much thought.”
Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the most recent race in France, but Lewis Hamilton indicated he still has plenty left in the tank to compete for at least another 400 races. “This was Hamilton’s best result of the season.” he said.
He has, however, made it clear that he will carry on until he is completely exhausted.
Hamilton remarked while evaluating the near- and long-term future: “Honestly, I’m thinking about how I can improve this car.
Assessing the short- and long-term path ahead, Hamilton said: “Honestly, I’m thinking about how I can improve this game.”
Notable Quotes:
He continued:
“I’m thinking about what the steps are that I need to take to get this team winning again, what is the roadmap to winning another world championship.”
“I’m thinking what are the steps that we need to have everyone aligned in this sport to do more to start truly reflecting the work that we are trying to do in terms of diversity. I’m thinking of all of those things.”
“When I talk about fuel left in the tank, I’m still fighting for all of those things and I still feel I’ve got plenty to go with that.”
“More likely than not, when I stop, I will still have fuel in the tank. I don’t think I will go until I’m completely burnt out and have nothing left but hopefully that’s a while off.”