Lewis Hamilton retirement plan teased by Mercedes as Brit brings contract saga to an end

Hamilton spent the majority of his early days in F1 batting away any suggestion he would race into his 40s. The British racing superstar originally had no plans to follow in the footsteps of Kimi Raikkonen.

But his new deal with Mercedes will see him racing in F1 after his 40th birthday. The 2025 season will also be his 19th in F1, putting him level with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Raikkonen.

Only Fernando Alonso has completed more seasons in F1 as the Spaniard is currently in his 21st. And Mercedes have offered a subtle hint that Hamilton could well continue driving in F1 beyond 2025.

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In their press release announcing Hamilton’s contract, Mercedes suggested there was a possibility the Briton would sign another deal. It read: “The extension ensures the continuation of the most successful team and driver pairing in Formula One history into at least a 13th year.”

Hamilton also fed into the suggestion he could stay in F1 beyond his new deal. He said: “Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do.”

Hamilton’s new deal runs until the end of the 2025 season with F1 introducing fresh regulations for the following year. The 38-year-old may well want to bide his time on making a final decision on whether he plans to retire in 2025 or not depending on how things are looking heading into 2026.