Formula One: Lewis Hamilton likely to stay for at least three more seasons

Lewis Hamilton says he currently has no plans to retire from Formula One before the 2020 season, giving him at least three more years in the sport.

There have been plenty of rumors that four-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton would be retiring following the end of the 2018 season when his current contact with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport is set to expire. In fact, there have even been rumors that he could retire “at any moment.”

But Hamilton may very well have put those rumors to bed recently. A few days ago, Hamilton stated that he planned to stay in the sport for “at least another couple of years” and that his goal was to be able to match the championship total of Juan Manuel Fangio, which is five.

However, with four championships of his own and three of them coming in the last four years, that speculation remained since Hamilton really only may need one season to tie Fangio’s mark for second on the all-time titles list behind Michael Schumacher.

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In that case, would Hamilton really need be around for “another couple of years”, especially since he has also stated that his goal isn’t to chase down and possibly pass Schumacher’s championships and wins records?

Now, Hamilton has stated that he will likely remain in the sport until at least the 2020 season, meaning that those “couple of years” he was referring to earlier will likely translate to at least three more full seasons.

Here is what Hamilton had to say, according to ESPN.

"“I think about what is ahead of me. I have spoken to those who have retired early, those who retired late and everyone says stay in as long as you can. That’s not going to happen.“The seasons are getting longer and longer and you see the things I do outside, which take a lot of my energy and time. I’m enjoying what I’m doing now. I enjoy being with this team, I love racing and I still feel at the moment I’m driving at my best.”“While the car is in this form of rules until 2021 at least, I think that’s going to be the window I’m still here. Who knows? Maybe in 2021 I’ll hand the baton over to [Mercedes junior] George [Russell]. He’ll be there anyway before then. I’m going to keep going.”"

With Hamilton counting on at least three more seasons in the sport, would that not potential put Schumacher’s all-time championships and wins records back in play for him? With four career titles, he trails Schumacher by three, and with 62 career victories, he trails Schumacher by 29.

Having won three titles and 40 races in the last four seasons, is there new reason to believe that he could break Schumacher’s all-time records.

Next: Who is the greatest Formula One driver of all-time?

When will Lewis Hamilton actually end up retiring? Will he retire earlier than expected, will he retire after the 2020 season, or will he be in the sport for at least four more seasons, thus giving him a great chance to not only break but pass Michael Schumacher’s championships and wins records?

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