Formula One: Predicting when Lewis Hamilton will retire

Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that his future in Formula One is anything but clear. When will he ultimately decide to retire?

Lewis Hamilton is only set to turn 33 years old next month. But after 11 full seasons in Formula One during which he has won 62 races, a win total that puts him behind only the great Michael Schumacher on the all-time wins list, and four championships, a championship total that puts him behind only Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio on the all-time championships list, Hamilton has admitted that his future in the sport is uncertain.

This has raised a simple question with a not-so-simple answer: When will Lewis Hamilton retire?

Hamilton is coming off of a 2017 season during which he won nine races to bring his career win total from 53 to 62, inching closing to Michael Schumacher’s all-time record 91 wins. His nine wins also gave him 40 wins in the four-year span from the 2014 to the 2017 season, an all-time record. He also won the 2017 title, bringing him from a 5th place tie to a 3rd place tie on the all-time titles list.

So why is retirement even an option with him still being in his prime? Hamilton has recently stated that his future in the sport in uncertain given the fact that he doesn’t want to miss out on the many other opportunities that life has to offer. Seeing as how he has been so good for so long in Formula One, never finishing lower than 5th place in the drivers standings in each of his first 11 seasons in the sport, being uncertain of his future in the sport makes sense.