Lewis Hamilton still has “unfinished business” in F1

Lewis Hamilton says he and Mercedes have “unfinished business” in F1, having this week signed a two-year contract that’ll keep him on the grid until the end of 2025.

The seven-time world champion missed out on a record eighth crown in a controversial last-lap battle with Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi in 2021, and since then neither Hamilton nor the team has been able to bounce back having failed to adapt to the new aero regs that have propelled Red Bull into total domination of the sport.

However, LH believes Merc can turn things around and that the challenge of reeling in Red Bull means he’s as motivated as ever.

“You're all stuck with me for a little bit longer,” said Hamilton yesterday. “Honestly, I couldn't be happier to be extending with this team. And we still have unfinished business. We are in this together, we've got a lot of work to do to get ourselves back to the front, but there's no place I'd rather be.”

The British driver denied that he ever thought about retiring amid the team’s ongoing struggles, despite 2022 being a “difficult year” and 2023 being barely any better with Red Bull winning every grand prix so far.

However, with his new deal set to see him racing into his 40s, Hamilton admitted he was surprised but “incredibly grateful” for his longevity. “I still have that love for what I'm doing. I still love getting in the car. I still love racing with my peers… I love that feeling of when you have the lows together and when you have the highs together, there's nothing like it.”

Did he get any inspiration from 42-year-old Fernando Alonso, who’s stepped onto the podium seven times this season for a resurgent Aston Martin? Partly, he says, although it was Tom Brady - the seven-time Super Bowl winner who only retired from the bruising and physical NFL for good at the age of 45 - who was Hamilton’s main role model. “I’m really, really fortunate that I've been able to speak to him to understand what he does consistently to keep himself in shape.”

As for that showdown in Abu Dhabi a couple of seasons back - in which the race director applied the rules incorrectly and made Hamilton a sitting duck for the last-lap restart - Hamilton insists that getting even isn’t on his mind.

“I'm not really a revenge person. It's not about revenge,” he explained. “It's not about redemption. That's in the past. There's nothing you can do about the past, but what we can do is work harder and be more precise and be better moving forwards. And I truly believe that with this team, we can win more World Championships and win races together.

“Even though I've been driving and racing all these years, I still feel like I can improve each weekend. And I think that's what I love about this sport: you're never going to reach perfection, but the pursuit of perfection is one of the most exciting things about what we do.

Prediction time: do you think he’s got another title in him, or is the powerhouse that is Max Verstappen and Red Bull just too far ahead now?