David Coulthard has warned Lewis Hamilton to think carefully about his retirement from F1, as the seven-time world champion will never be able to get the same “adrenaline buzz” from anywhere else. Hamilton has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract at Mercedes, with negotiations ongoing for over a year.
It’s been suggested that this will likely be Hamilton’s final contract in F1 as the Brit looks ahead to his other ventures. Hamilton has stated that he plans to continue working with Mercedes in another capacity when he retires from the sport.
He’s already exceeded his own expectations on how long he’d stay in F1, having previously stated he didn’t want to be racing into his 40s. His new contract is set to do just that, with Hamilton soon looking at life after F1.
But Coulthard, who retired from F1 at the age of 37 back in 2008, wants his compatriot to think long and hard before walking away from racing for good. “Lewis has had an incredible journey in life, with his achievements on the track, and his exposure off it,” Coulthard told Irish News.
“He has got a very healthy view of how it is to be Lewis Hamilton—the Formula One driver that goes from country to country—and Lewis Hamilton—the individual, the personality, the celebrity. But none of those personality-driven events he goes to will ever give him the adrenaline buzz he gets from racing a Formula One car.
Lewis Hamilton is expected to sign his final contract in F1
David Coulthard has warned Lewis Hamilton to think carefully about his retirement from F1, as the seven-time world champion will never be able to get the same “adrenaline buzz” from anywhere else. Hamilton has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract at Mercedes, with negotiations ongoing for over a year.
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It’s been suggested that this will likely be Hamilton’s final contract in F1 as the Brit looks ahead to his other ventures. Hamilton has stated that he plans to continue working with Mercedes in another capacity when he retires from the sport.
He’s already exceeded his own expectations on how long he’d stay in F1, having previously stated he didn’t want to be racing into his 40s. His new contract is set to do just that, with Hamilton soon looking at life after F1.
But Coulthard, who retired from F1 at the age of 37 back in 2008, wants his compatriot to think long and hard before walking away from racing for good. “Lewis has had an incredible journey in life, with his achievements on the track, and his exposure off it,” Coulthard told Irish News.
Lewis Hamilton already has a number of ventures outside of F1 (Image: Getty)
“He has got a very healthy view of how it is being Lewis Hamilton – the Formula One driver that goes from country to country – and Lewis Hamilton – the individual, the personality, the celebrity. But none of those personality-driven events he goes to will ever give him the adrenaline buzz he gets from racing a Formula One car.
“Very few things in life will ever give him that feeling, so when the time does arrive for him to retire, he has to be certain he is ready to stop.”
Hamilton and Toto Wolff have been coy in the media when asked about updates on contract talks with both insisting most of the negotiations have already been agreed. The length of contract and pay terms are reportedly signed but it’s unclear what else there is to sort out.
