Damon Hill was 36 when he became Formula 1 World Champion in 1996, the same age Lewis Hamilton is now and will still be in December if – or is it when? – he claims his record eighth crown. Now 60 and newly vaccinated against you-know-what, Hill reckons he understands where Hamilton’s head might be at, following his recent decision to only re- commit to the dominant Mercedes-AMG F1 team until the end of 2021. Whether he races on into next year and beyond is currently anyone’s guess – including, perhaps, his own.
“I totally get it,” says Damon, who will attend about a third of the record 23 races scheduled for this year in his role as pundit for Sky F1’s TV coverage. “Lewis is in this position where he can pick and choose. As he’s acknowledged, he’s coming up to the end-game. He knows he could race if he wanted to for a long time yet, but he’s not sure. Being bound to a contract that goes beyond a certain number of years, you don’t know how you are going to feel when it comes to the crunch.”
Hill’s fine F1 career – 21 GP wins for Williams, another for Jordan and that emotional 1996 world title – hobbled to a sad conclusion after a difficult season in 1999. He knew the time had come. “Everybody has this in the back of their mind: ‘when will I have to stop racing, and will I know when is the right time to stop?’” says Damon. “Keeping your options open is the right thing to do. The question is whether he’ll be in a stronger negotiating position later this year, and on past track record you’d say he probably will be.
“But we saw what happened with Michael [Schumacher] at Ferrari where you think ‘they’ll wait for me’,” he adds as a warning. “The trouble is Mercedes won’t and can’t. That’s the trap, and I’d be wary of it. Assuming you are indispensable is risky.”
As Hill says, “It’s more of a problem for Mercedes, isn’t it? They have to set up their ducks in a row for the future.” As Red Bull boss Christian Horner has openly admitted, his driver Max Verstappen will surely be high on the list if Mercedes has any doubt about Hamilton’s future intentions. “Yes, and I think Mercedes will be high on Max’s list as well,” says Damon. “He’s been very loyal to Red Bull, but if they can’t provide the competitiveness he needs… Time is ticking. He was the youngest F1 winner back in 2016, but he hasn’t been able to fight for a championship yet. That will be in his mind.”
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Damon is spot on with his words, it's not a case of retire to let the next gen have their glory days, it's more, what if I get jaded with racing halfway through 2022?, and, you must remember Hamilton and Verstappen are to young to retire, you have to fill that future time with something.
Cavellini spouting sh!te again, to(o) young to retire? Hamilton doesn't need to work, he wants to work. He will have a career beyond F1.
What is inevitable is that younger, faster and hungrier drivers are snapping at his heels and WILL push him down the leaderboard over the next few years.
Hamilton has a gift, that is beyond doubt, probably one of the finest drivers ever. The problem is he competes in a sport where fractions of seconds per lap seperate winners from losers, his reaction times will lessen with age, it's inevitable.
Nice to hear from you again, anyway, I don't know any F1 drivers personally,but, the media, for most , is there portal into their World whether they want it or not.