Lewis Hamilton Drops F1 Bombshell: Planning to Race Even Longer Than Expected?

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has made a surprising admission about his potential eighth championship, stating that he isn’t focused on "the number eight" but instead sees it as his first title with his new team. Hamilton hinted that his Ferrari arrival is the beginning of a new chapter and is thus viewing his potential championship victory from a new perspective.

The 40-year-old driver moved to Ferrari last month after 12 years with Mercedes, a partnership that secured eight Constructors' Championships and six drivers' titles. However, given Mercedes' inability to provide him with a championship-winning car in the ground effect era beginning in 2022, Hamilton made the big move in the quest for his eighth title and to fulfill his long-time dream of racing for Ferrari.

Ferrari has not won a championship since 2008 and last year, it lost one by just 14 points to McLaren. Having raced with two championship-winning teams in the past—McLaren and Mercedes, the seven-time world champion believes Ferrari has what it takes to win another championship. Speaking at the F1 75 launch event in London, he said:

"I've worked with two world championship-winning teams before, and I know what a winning team looks and feels like.

"The passion here is like nothing you have ever seen. They have got every ingredient they need to win a world championship, it's just about putting all the pieces together.

"We've got great leaders in Fred [Vasseur, team principal], John [Elkann, Ferrari president] and Benedetto [Vigna, Ferrari CEO] and everyone just has a really calm and good approach.

"No one is like, 'we're perfect in every single area.' Everyone wants to elevate everywhere and they are leaving no stone unturned to do that."

Speaking on his potential eighth title, Hamilton explained:

"To me, it would be the first. Winning the championship for Ferrari is the first. That's what I'm working towards.

"I don't think about the number eight. I'm thinking about the first championship that the team's won for some time, although they've already had many, many world championships over the history.

"So, for me, it's looking for that first one with the team, and right now it's about how can I contribute to that? How can I help them achieve that?"

When the Briton was asked if he would quit F1 after winning his eighth title, he said:

"If I was fortunate enough to win another title, which is obviously what we are setting out to do, I don't see myself stopping."