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Lewis Hamilton says he still loves racing and Formula 1, although his main driving force now is not breaking the world title record.
After revealing he opted for a short-term contract with Mercedes to keep his options open beyond 2021, Lewis was asked if there is a chance that he will retire if he wins his eighth world title, and if failure to do so would make him stay in the sport.
“I have made a real important decision in my mind, [which] is that I don’t want that to be the deciding factor,” the Briton explained.
“I got into racing because I loved racing and I think that has got to be always at the core of what I do. If I don’t love racing and if all you are going for is accolades and world titles I feel I could potentially lose my way.
“Of course, it is the ultimate dream, but I don’t think necessarily it will be the deciding factor for if I stay on and keep going.
“I think it is more when I put that helmet on, I still have that smile when I leave the garage. It is going back to ‘do you enjoy it?
“Last year was a really tough year for everybody, including me, but there were still some impactful moments. Will that be the case this year? We shall see. Will I enjoy it as much? We’ll see. I’m excited now so I’m sure I will.”
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In a press conference after Mercedes’ 2021 car launch, the seven-time champion further explained his one-year contract.
“I still love what I do. I think, going back to [what I said] earlier on, I’m just generally in a fortunate position that I don’t have to commit to multiple years.
“So, I chose to have a one-year deal so that I could see how the year goes and where we’re at mid-year or towards the end of the year – who knows whether we’ll still be in a pandemic.
“But it doesn’t mean I’m not committed, I’m still very committed to the sport.
“There was a lot of great discussion around this diversity issue and it still remains an issue to this day and it’s not going to change overnight.
“But what’s really important is to make sure we’re actually delivering and actually taking action.
“And I’m really proud of my team here, who I’m already seeing steps that we started taking last year, particularly towards the end of last year.
“We’re starting to see that progress little by little, and it just takes one step at a time of course. So, that’s kind of my driving force this year too.
“To make sure that we continue to push for accountability and on top of that hopefully I can deliver some good performances,” concluded Hamilton.
