No retirement clock for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is 41, and he is not buying the idea that time is about to catch him. Speaking ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver said he is “built differently” from anyone Formula 1 has seen in its 70-odd years, and that the usual worries about slowing reactions simply do not apply to him.
He was careful not to oversell it. At 41 he reckons he could still match a 20-year-old, but whether that holds at 44 is a harder question, and he insisted he has no wish to overstay his welcome. If his level dropped, he said, he would walk away. For now he is “still all in”. His Ferrari deal runs through 2027, with an option for one more season.
The talk started because F1 confirmed earlier this month that Africa will return to the calendar in the 2030s, with a race in Rwanda. Hamilton said he would love to line up for the first grand prix on the continent since 1993. Whether the circuit will even exist by 2030 is another matter, which makes the comment more wish than plan.
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A scrap for second behind Antonelli
Hamilton’s own season has turned around. After a first year at Ferrari that left even him doubting himself, he took his first win in red at Barcelona and has stayed in the mix since. Kimi Antonelli is expected to wrap up the drivers’ title in Mexico, so the real fight is for runner-up. George Russell holds second, one point clear of Hamilton, with Max Verstappen five further back and Charles Leclerc three behind him.
Hamilton said he is not fixated on his own position, and that his priority is second in the constructors’ standings for Ferrari. Mercedes lead the team championship by 133 points, while Ferrari hold a 119-point cushion over Red Bull and McLaren.
Altitude puzzle in Mexico
On track, Hamilton believes Ferrari’s smaller turbo could help in the thin air of Mexico City, though he admitted he does not know yet. Every team will run maximum downforce, he said, and tyre temperature is the big unknown. Practice begins Friday, qualifying is Saturday, and the race is Sunday.
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