Lewis Hamilton rubbishes retirement talk after 1 poor season with Mercedes: “I’ll still be here”

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that there was no hold-up regarding his new contract with the Mercedes AMG F1 team and his future in the sport.

The seven-time world champion had a pretty dismal 2022 campaign as he finished sixth in the driver's standings and walked away without a win or pole position for the first time in his career.

Many expect Hamilton to call time on his illustrious career and not sign a new contract with the German team beyond this season.

However, as per Sky Sports, Lewis Hamilton stated that he was 'still here' racing after arguably the most difficult season of his F1 career. He said:

"Having a difficult year, like we had last year, I'm still here. Whether or not we have a difficult year [this year]... I'll still be here. I'm a fighter, and we fight as a team. I love the challenge of finding solutions and I still believe I'm able to put the car in places that perhaps others are not able to and I love that challenge."

"There is no hold-up with our contract. I've always been very, very relaxed and don't feel like I need to get it done right this second. I have a great relationship with Toto [Wolff] and Mercedes and we fully support each other. I'm really excited about the future together and the work we're doing on and off the track."

"We arrive here with a much better understanding of the challenges ahead" - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton stated that the team was much better prepared for the 2023 season compared to the previous season. He said:

"Naturally, we arrive here with a much better understanding of the challenges are ahead. I knew from the moment I drove the car where we were and the challenges we would be facing. On the positive, not having the bouncing this year is a huge plus."

"We can focus now on pure performance, so I've been encouraged to see the focus of everyone in the team, they're so focused on getting us back to the top. We're not where we want to be at the start of the season, but this still is a multi-championship-winning team and group of people."

It will be interesting to see if Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are closer to rivals Ferrari and Red Bull and if they can truly challenge them for the championship later on in the season.