Lewis Hamilton commits to Mercedes until 2025
Lewis Hamilton has shed light on how he plans to spend the off-season after a frustrating 2023. The Mercedes star ended the year with a whimper in Abu Dhabi, and he was downbeat about the prospect of his team building a car capable of challenging Red Bull by the time drivers reconvene in Bahrain.
Hamilton shrugged off his ninth-place finish at Yas Marina Circuit by attending the traditional end-of-season drivers meal alongside the likes of Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo.
The seven-time world champion did not take part in Mercedes’ post-season test in Abu Dhabi, however, which was left to Frederik Vesti and George Russell, but he still has a week to go before he can clock off for the winter.
“I don’t finish work until the December 10,” Hamilton explained. “Then I’m going to go to LA to work on some music for a little bit. A friend of mine is having a baby, so I’ll be there for that. Then family time in the mountains, fresh air, hiking and cross-country skiing.”
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Time away from F1 could allow the Brit to return in 2024 with a fresh optimism. Hamilton painted a bleak picture after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite Mercedes sealing second spot in the Constructors’ Championship.
“It’s not been a great year in general,” he said. “There’s not a lot to take from the year. The fact that I survived it [is positive], but probably that’s about it. At this moment I don’t really know [whether next year’s car will be competitive].
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“For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds and they haven’t even developed their car since August, it’s definitely a concern. But we’ve learned a lot about the car and it’s just down to the team now. They know what they need to do. Whether or not they’ll get there, we’ll see.”
Hamilton has been searching for a record-breaking eighth Drivers’ Championship since his last world title win in 2020. He agonisingly lost out to Max Verstappen in 2021, and the Red Bull star has dominated the sport ever since.
Not only is Hamilton stuck on seven titles, he has failed to win a Grand Prix for the past two seasons – by far the longest streak of his F1 career. There was, however, some consolation in bettering Russell’s points total to reaffirm his status as top dog in the Mercedes garage.
Hamilton picked up six podium finishes to his younger team-mate’s two, and finished the year with 59 more points than the former Williams ace.
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