Hamilton feeling "fantastic physically and mentally" in his 13th year of F1 – and braced for tougher second half of season for Mercedes
Friday 23 August 2019 16:16, UK
Lewis Hamilton says he still loves driving and doesn't intend to retire from Formula 1 any time soon as he has "more to achieve" in the sport.
Hamilton, who leads the championship by 62 points at the summer break, is closing in on a sixth title which would put him one behind Michael Schumacher, and he is also nearing the German's F1 wins record.
"One day I will have to stop, but right now I feel fantastic physically and mentally," said Hamilton, 34.
"I don't currently have any plans of stopping soon. There's more to do, there's more to win, there's more to achieve together, inside and outside of the car."
Hamilton's comments give further indication that the five-time world champion is willing to extend his career beyond the end of his current Mercedes contract, which expires after the 2020 season.
"It's been a phenomenal journey [at Mercedes]," added Hamilton. "I think right now I'm just excited to see what more we can do together and what's next.
"I honestly don't know why some people decide to stop at the times they decide to stop, but I love driving. I really, really love the challenge."
Hamilton predicts 'much harder' rest of season
The championship leader's 62-point advantage at the summer break is the largest any driver has enjoyed since 2011, while Hamilton's eight victories from the opening 12 rounds represents F1's best strike in 15 years.
The Mercedes driver believes there is room for improvement - and is predicting a tougher remainder of the year when the season resumes at Spa next week.
"Eight wins in the first half of the season is obviously exceptional," said Hamilton.
"Ferrari have had a good package, they've obviously come with a certain philosophy this year that doesn't work everywhere. Red Bull, I don't know what changes they've done to their car but they seem to really be able turn it round, I think the engine has really made a big step for them as well which is great.
"I look at those races and I say eight out of 12 [wins]? There's still some missing. So how did we miss those ones? How were we not perfect on those weekends? We've also had races where we were fortunate and Ferrari were quicker. Sometimes it was team error or sometimes it was driver error.
"I do think the next half of the season could be much, much harder as we continue to have this battle."
