Lewis Hamilton - does new Mercedes deal mark the beginning of his end in F1?

Formula 1 fans have by now gotten accustomed to hearing stories of Lewis Hamilton and his contract negotiations. They are often protracted, sometimes full of rumours but never dull. Thus it was easy to see why many were surprised when Mercedes announced a two-year extension to Hamilton’s deal. The news was greeted positively by Mercedes fans, who naturally did not want the seven-time world champion to leave. Not that his departure was ever in the stars. Both Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff spoke about getting a new contract sorted early this time. True to their word, it was – and Hamilton signed his second new deal in the space of six months.

However, the new deal did bring to the fore the old question – what after Hamilton? In previous years that wasn’t a pressing matter but the Brit is now 36. He’s still operating at a very high level but now is as good a time as ever to plan for life without him.

By the time his latest deal runs out, Hamilton will have completed 11 years with the team. And will have, in all likeliness, come to the end of his Formula 1 career.

Lewis Hamilton doesn’t want to continue past age of 40

Hamilton was quizzed about his new deal afterwards and asked if he would continue on even after that. His answer makes it seem unlikely.

“When I’m 38 there’s going to be a point at which I’m going to want to move on to do different things.

“I guess it just always comes down to (the fact) I never do anything half-arsed so I’m not going to do it at 80 per cent, 70 per cent and just trundle along. There are people that can do that.

“I’m only here to win so if there’s ever a point where I feel I don’t want to commit the time or the effort, the mental time and the energy it takes, that will be the time for me to stop.

“But I don’t plan to be here until I’m 40. I hope I have something else exciting to do beyond. Regardless, no matter what time I stop, I’m going to miss this sport, the competing side of it, for sure.”

In a sense, it’s easy to understand his motivation. Hamilton is seen within F1 as a global superstar mainly because of his outside-the-sport interests.

Hamilton is well-known for having an interest in the fashion world, besides being an activist for social causes. He actively supports the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, and is always making efforts to make the sport of F1 more inclusive and diverse.

Hamilton is, after all, not only the first black world champion in the sport – he’s also the only black driver to have ever been in the sport.

He’s also known for addressing environmental issues, with his adoption of a plant-based diet central to that. He owns a plant-based fast food restaurant as well.

What next for Mercedes and F1?

Lewis Hamilton being able to find new things to do is not a surprise. However, there’s little doubt the sport will be worse off without him – at least in the short term.

All sports need a star whose profile transcends that of the sport. For instance, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are known even to non-football fans.

Tennis is lucky to have had three such personalities in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Yet in F1, Hamilton has been the sole flag bearer in that regard over the last decade or so.

Incidentally he took up the mantle from Michael Schumacher, whose racing career ended in 2006 – before his comeback, of course. Yet no one has dominated the sport in the way Schumacher and Hamilton did.

Sebastian Vettel came close, winning four straight world championships with Red Bull. However, his move to Ferrari didn’t yield any championships and he is now in a midfield side.

There’s also the feeling that Vettel would not be an ambassador for the sport in the same way Hamilton is. The German is not as outgoing or charasmatic as Hamilton, and his stock dipped considerably during his Ferrari stint.

The sport will definitely struggle for a bit without its most marketable star. However, Mercedes are seemingly already planning for life without Hamilton.

Rumours have constantly linked Mercedes junior driver George Russell with the other seat. The move would make sense in a number of ways – his speed is evident even in an uncompetitive Williams, and he would appeal to the British market too.

Whether Russell or anyone else can be even half as successful as Hamilton has been, however, remains to be seen.