Words of appreciation from Jacques Villeneuve towards Lewis Hamilton on the eve of his Mercedes contract extension

Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve recently spoke about Lewis Hamilton and stated how he still looks young and determined to win his record-breaking eighth world title before retiring.

The Briton recently signed a brand new two-year contract with Mercedes that will see him driving for the team till 2025. This is, of course, one last attempt from the seven-time world champion to step on the top spot once again before calling it quits.

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1, Villeneuve stated that Hamilton is still younger than Fernando Alonso and is not showing his age at all. This proves that the Mercedes driver's hunger to race and win more has not diminished.

“He’s still younger than Alonso! Lewis is not showing his age, it’s like Alonso, it’s all down to how hungry someone is. And how one is willing to still push the envelope, the limit, and how much he’s enjoying the dream he had as a little kid, which was to be a race car driver. If that dream goes away, that’s when you start slowing down, not age. Mostly in the modern era where everyone eats better, and trains better. So I think that’s pushed the age boundaries quite a lot,” Villeneuve said.

When further asked about whether Lewis Hamilton's dream of winning his eighth title is futile simply because of Red Bull and Max Verstappen's dominance, Villeneuve replied:

“Why would it be futile? Mercedes were so far ahead, and no one else gave up. It’s possible that Red Bull arrives at a point where they can’t evolve the car because they hit a wall in the development and Mercedes finds something. It’s never the end, even without rule changes.”

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Lewis Hamilton speaks on his contract extension with Mercedes and plans to battle Red Bull and Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton recently extended his contract with Mercedes for two more years. The seven-time world champion has his eyes set on Red Bull and Max Verstappen from now on and he will try to do anything to reach the top and re-claim the world championship once again.

Hamilton said (via PlanetF1):

“Of course in my heart, I’m so hopeful that the decisions we are taking and the direction that we’re rolling towards is that which will put us in that target zone to be able to fight the [Red] Bulls and be close and be challenging for pole. But, if it’s not next year, we’ll continue to work through it. But in my heart, I truly believe that if it’s not next year, it’s the year after, we will be there.”

As of now, no one knows whether the Mercedes driver will stay in the sport beyond 2025 or not.