Damon Hill reveals theory on Lewis Hamilton’s contract stand-off with Mercedes

Damon Hill believes that Lewis Hamilton may already be considering retirement as the seven-time world champion’s contract stand-off with Mercedes continues.

Now 38, Hamilton is set to begin his 17th season on the Formula 1 grid but is not believed to have yet re-committed to a return in 2024.

After a run of four consecutive Drivers’ Championships, the British driver has now missed out in consecutive seasons, battling significant car problems in the first half of 2022 to end any hopes of assembling a title challenge.

While a stronger finish to the season showed that Hamilton had not necessarily lost any of his skill, Hill believes that the Mercedes driver may be starting to contemplate when is the right time to bow out.

Citing both his own experience, and that of his father Graham, Hill outlined why Hamilton could retire if he secures a record-setting eighth crown this year.

Writing for The Telegraph, the 1996 world champion said: “How does a driver know when it’s time to go? If this is not a question Lewis Hamilton is pondering very hard at the moment, as he prepares to begin his 17th season in Formula One, it is certainly one he’s going to be asked at an uncomfortably increasing rate as the clock ticks down on his stellar career.

“As far as we know, he has no contract for 2024. The game of ‘guess what number I’m thinking of’ will be being played between him and Toto Wolff as the races count down this season.

“If he wins that fiendishly elusive eighth world title, will he plant his flag on the summit of F1 record books and call it a day? Or if he doesn’t win, will he press on in hope, vain or otherwise?

“For my part, I remember arriving in Melbourne at the beginning of the 1999 season and looking around at all the other drivers and thinking ‘They’re all 20 years younger than me! Would I be going to a party with guys 20 years younger than me? Probably not!’

“I just didn’t want to be the ‘old guy’. I had seen that happen to my Dad. He raced into his 40s and I vividly recall towards the end of his career all the talk about his age.”

Damon Hill became the first son of a former world champion to win a F1 crown of his own when he powered to season victory with Williams-Renault in 1996.

After three more less successful seasons, he announced a decision to step away from the sport at the age of 38 after Jordan declined to renew his contract.

By contrast, Hill’s father continued on in to his mid-forties, retiring in 1975 shortly before his death in a plane crash.

While the increased longevity of many sportspeople at the highest level suggests that Hamilton could, perhaps, press on to a similar age, Hill clarified that he does not believe the all-time leading race winner will want to remain in F1 if his team are not competitive.

Indeed, the 60-year-old wondered if his fellow Brit may be waiting to see how Mercedes’ new W14 car performs before deciding his future.

“At 38, Lewis is obviously getting on in terms of years, but he remains as quick as ever,” Hill continued for The Telegraph. “And as fit. With the way the drivers look after themselves these days, and power steering in the cars, I don’t believe there is any physical reason he could not carry on driving well into his 40s if he was motivated to do so. Fernando Alonso is living proof of that.

“The question is, what is keeping him here? Is it just about getting that eighth title? Will he retire if he does it? Or is it because he wants to keep racing for the love of it? Personally I can’t see Lewis driving around in circles trying to pick off podium places, as Fernando has been forced to resign himself to.

“Whatever the reason, Hamilton is out of contract at the end of this season. And it is going to be fascinating to see his next move. While both he and Mercedes have been saying for months that he plans to carry on, the fact remains that with less than a week until the first race of the year on March 5, nothing has yet been announced. It begs the question, why?

“One possible explanation is that both sides are waiting to see just how competitive Mercedes are before committing to a new deal. If they start 2023 miles off the pace, perhaps Lewis will be less minded to sign a new long-term deal?

“I don’t think anyone outside of Lewis and Mercedes know the answers to these questions but one thing we do know is it’s a critical moment in the career of one of the sport’s all-time greats.”

The 2023 F1 campaign begins in Bahrain, with race day at the Sakhir Circuit on Sunday 5 March.