Lewis Hamilton confirmed his intention to continue racing with Mercedes beyond the expiry of his current contract.
That deal is set to expire at the end of next season, leaving room for speculation over whether that might be the point that the 37-year-old decides to call time on his Formula 1 career. But despite an earlier claim that he did not plan to keep racing after turning 40, there have been hints that he has changed his mind.
And now Hamilton has explicitly said as much. Speaking to reporters at the United States Grand Prix last weekend, he confirmed his desire to extend his deal with Mercedes, adding that he would be sitting down to work out the details with the team during the off-season.
"We are going to do another deal," said the seven-time world champion. "We're going to sit down and we're going to discuss it in these next couple of months, I would say."
There had been suggestions that Mercedes' downturn in fortunes this season might convince the Brit that it is time to pursue other ventures. But, if anything, the fact his team is enduring a difficult time as only strengthened his resolve to continue.
"My goal is to continue to be with Mercedes. I've been with Mercedes since I was 13. And it really is my family – Mercedes-Benz is my family," he added. "They've stuck with me through thick and thin.
"They stuck with me through being expelled at school. They stuck with me through everything that was going on through 2020. They've stuck with me through my mistakes, and s**t that's been in the press – they've stuck with me through the ups and downs.
"I really believe in this brand. I believe in the people that are within the organisation. And I want to be the best teammate I can be to them, because I think we can make the brand even better, more accessible, even stronger than it is. And I think I can be an integral part of that."
But that's not to say Hamilton isn't planning for what will come next after his racing career. He has already launched his production company Dawn Apollo Films, and will serve as an executive producer for a new F1 movie starring Brad Pitt – and he plans to put "full focus" into that venture when he does eventually decide to retire.
"When I stop racing – which I don't plan on doing for a while, I still feel I'm in a good place – I want it to be seamless. I want to be able to move on to fully focus on Dawn Apollo Films and to be able to jump in at a similar level to what I've been used to," he said.
