F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Open To NASCAR As Mercedes Contract Looms

Lewis Hamilton, the 7-time F1 champion driver, has made an interesting revelation about his potential future endeavors. While reaffirming his dedication to Formula 1, Hamilton expressed openness to the idea of racing in NASCAR or IndyCar machinery as the pace of Mercedes threatens to give him another poor year.

With his contract with Mercedes set to expire at the end of the 2023 season, speculations regarding Hamilton's next move have been circulating as he aims for his eighth world title. However, the British driver has emphasised his interest in remaining in F1 racing while also expressing curiosity about experiencing the thrill of NASCAR and not ruling out the possibility of Indycar.

Hamilton previously had the opportunity to swap cars with three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart at Watkins Glen back in 2011. Additionally, he shares a close friendship with four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon. When asked by the media if he would consider racing in NASCAR or IndyCar, Hamilton responded positively.

"I did a car swap with Tony Stewart years ago, which was fun. I’d love to try it (NASCAR) at some stage. It’s not a dream for me to go race another series, but I am an admirer, I’m a fan of racing and other sports. So I would like to try it."

Reflecting on his experience of swapping vehicles with motorsport icons, Hamilton mentioned his ride with Valentino Rossi in MotoGP and his interest in IndyCar.

"It's an amazing opportunity I got to swap with Valentino Rossi and try a MotoGP bike, and I sometimes watch IndyCar - I'd love to try one of those cars at some stage. I'm not a big fan of the big (cockpit head protection aero) screen that they have, but the cars sound and look good."

Despite his fascination with other racing disciplines, Hamilton emphasised that his current focus remains on Formula 1, and he has no plans to leave the sport in the near future.

While the 2023 season has faced criticism from some quarters for its lack of overtaking and Red Bull's dominance, Hamilton addressed the nature of Grand Prix racing, stating that it was not his role to convince people to watch the sport.

"As a racing fan, I can understand as there's not much competition like with the NFL and NBA at the moment. That is not my doing. We need to do better as a sport... All I can say is we're working as hard as we can to close up and get back to [giving the fans] some more excitement."

Hamilton remains committed to Formula 1, but his openness to exploring other racing series will surely get fans excited for the future.