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Hamilton happy as a driver and needs to improve on qualifying

Hamilton satisfied: 'I still love racing'

30 November 2023 at 15:00
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Lewis Hamilton's new contract sees him on the grid until at least his 40th birthday. A fact the Briton could not imagine until recently, he told the BBC.

"What you've got to learn is you should never say never. But at that point, I definitely didn't think I'd be continuing. They are frickin' long seasons. It's a long time away from everyone. I've been doing it 16 years. It's gruelling," said Hamilton. The seven-time world champion feels he is constantly scrutinised: "If I win a race, it's: 'Oh, you got 103 wins.' If I don't do well, it's criticism. I can only lose at this point in life. So for sure there was a period of time when I was questioning whether I wanted to go through that."

Hamilton still feels like a rookie

Hamilton already takes a very different view these days: "I still love driving. I still love getting into the car. When they start the car up and you have all those people around you, the crew, you go down the pit lane, I still get this smile on my face the same as I did the first day I drove."

Where does Mercedes need to improve?

There are areas where the team can improve, Hamilton believes. "Qualifying is still an area that needs to be improved. We struggle as a team getting the performance out of these tyres and you'll notice there was one weekend where George would be massively off and I'd be OK, and then it switched the other way. And those are down to small details with the car."