Lewis Hamilton says he dreams to retire a champion but won’t be leaving Formula One with Mercedes soon

Lewis Hamilton says he dreams of retiring as a Formula One champion – but has no plans to stop soon.

Hamilton has won seven world titles, putting him level with Michael Schumacher for the most ever in Formula One.

This season he wasn’t able to challenge for an eighth championship win as Mercedes struggled for pace and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was crowned champion for the second year in a row.

Hamilton has revealed Formula One is no longer his top priority in life, but he still has ambitions to go out on top.

“Motorsport isn’t the most important thing for me,” he told Sport Bild.

“When I was a kid maybe it was. Probably also when I got into Formula 1.

“Ever since I was in my 30s, I’ve realised that it’s all about making memories. With friends, with family. It’s about key memories with the people who mean the most to you.

“That’s what I focus on and plan things to create those moments. Because that’s what you take with you in the long run.

“Sometimes you wake up and have this feeling: I don’t want to do this anymore. And sometimes you wake up and think: I can still do other things my whole life, there is definitely more I want to achieve. It won’t be a terribly long time now, but I’ll definitely be staying.

“I think retiring as a world champion is a dream that every athlete has – and so do I.”

Hamilton is currently under contract with Mercedes until the end of 2023.

He has said this season that he plans to sign a new “multi-year” deal with the team, but talks have not yet progressed.

“We haven’t started with that yet. So far we haven’t had the time, we’ve been on the road for two months at a time.”

Hamilton finished sixth in the 2022 championship, with team-mate George Russell in fourth.

Even though it was Hamilton’s lowest-ever finish in Formula One he said there was encouragement towards the end of the season.

“The year was definitely not a disappointment for me.

“It was all the nicer to see how happy we were about the small stages. We fought for fifth place and everyone was excited. Then it was a matter of fourth place and everyone was absolutely thrilled. It was a nice experience to be so happy with a fourth or fifth place.

“Also feeling the feeling of fighting your way forward, of having first, third or second place: We’re almost there. This is something we all needed.

“I appreciate achievements even more now. After the race in Brazil, when George Russell won and I finished second, I was incredibly happy about this team effort.”

Asked what gives him hope that next year will be better, Hamilton said: “I know how hard it is to be at the top and to stay there.

“We want to get back to the top. What gives us great hope is the end of this season. The last few races have shown a clear positive trend and prove that with perseverance we can achieve anything.”