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Lewis Hamilton talks about continuing in Formula 1 beyond 2021 and adds “there’s still a lot of work to do within this sport”.
Last week Lewis Hamilton participated in Pirelli’s 2022 tyre test at Imola. The Briton explains what motivated him to do the test and, in doing so, hints at staying in Formula 1 beyond this year.
“Well firstly I don’t ever volunteer for test days and it’s probably one of the first ones I have volunteered for,” joked Hamilton at the Portuguese Grand Prix Thursday press conference.
“So I immediately regretted it when I woke up in the morning on the day. I was like, ‘dammit!’ But no honestly, firstly it was at a really great track to test at, so I enjoyed the day and the weather was good.
“And I plan to be here next year and I want to help Pirelli and help lead towards them having a better product.
“It’s something that the drivers all have wished for I think – better performance – and so it was important for me to gauge where the starting point is and what differences I can help with.
“So from a driver point of view we have more mechanical grip, less degradation… So I think it was a good test and obviously it was the first step with the tyres but it definitely wasn’t a bad place to start.”
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The seven-time champion was asked if his championship battle with Max Verstappen is something that entices him to continue racing in Formula 1.
“Well the thing is, I’m pretty spontaneous so it could always change. I’m enjoying this battle that we’re having, it’s getting more exciting, it’s been even more of a challenge and I continue to love working with this team.
“It’s encouraging to see the steps for example my team are really making towards becoming more inclusive and more diverse.
“I think today they already announced one of the initiatives we already have in our organisation. We still have a lot of work to do as a sport.
“There are still many teams that have continued to stay silent, some people that so far have not particularly been held accountable and there’s still a lot of work to do within this sport.
“And I know that being here, I have more chance of helping change that than not, so that’s something I’m looking to [do].
“I don’t know how long I can stay though, so we’ll see,” concluded Hamilton.
