23/06/2017
NEWS STORY
In a week which has seen the three-time world champion hint at retirement and then claim he was misquoted, Lewis Hamilton is not only targeting more titles but a possible move to Maranello.
Earlier in the week, talking to the FIA's Auto magazine, Hamilton hinted he could do a Nico Rosberg. "My destiny is in my own hands," he said. "I can decide to stop at the end of this year."
While the media went into overdrive, the Briton subsequently pointed out that he was in fact referring to his belief that his legacy would not be damaged should he opt to retire at season end.
Indeed, as the Baku weekend got underway, the Briton suggested that retirement is the last thing on his mind.
"I could easily do another three-year contract if I wanted to and I reckon I could go on for another one after that," he told reporters. "I'm 32 and I feel like I'm at a pivot point towards the older side. I don't feel like I'm one of the older ones, I still feel like I'm in the prime or even on the verge of my prime. It's the pivot point, so the interesting thing is how long I can make the prime last.
"If you look at Nico he didn't want to give any more of his life to committing to being a racing driver," he continued, "but I'll always be a racing driver at heart so that's quite an easy decision.
"I still want more," he insisted. "I still want two championships. I always wanted to emulate Senna, but then you set your sights on new goals, new challenges and new horizons so that's really the discovery phase.
"When I think about Fangio, five titles sounds pretty good,” he admitted. "Vettel's only one away from five so if I get to five he could easily equal that, and then I've got to get six.
"People ask me what's motivating you and I still want more. The fact is, the human race is greedy, we always want more. I feel like I have more potential, and I feel like it's a constant journey to discover just what that potential is. There's no real limit to what we can achieve. The limit is a state of mind.”
Asked if his potential might include a spell at Ferrari, Hamilton admitted: "That is not something I am thinking about at the moment, rather the contrary, as I am getting my head around how to beat them!
"Nevertheless I have never made it a secret that I am a huge fan of the team, of what they have achieved in the history of motorsport and also in the normal world in regards to their street cars. Who knows what the future holds, but at the moment I cannot imagine being anywhere else but here (at Mercedes). I am really enjoying the fight that we have with Ferrari."
Check out our Friday gallery from Baku, here.