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Lewis Hamilton rumored to join Mercedes Formula E after Formula 1 career

By Asher Fair

MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 08: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on, on the drivers parade before the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 08, 2019 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 08: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on, on the drivers parade before the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 08, 2019 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /
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Five-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has been rumored to join the Mercedes Formula E team once he retires from Formula 1.

Mercedes recently launched their Formula E team and announced that former Formula 1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne and current Formula 2 driver Nyck De Vries are set to comprise the team’s driver lineup in their maiden season, the sixth overall season of Formula E competition, beginning in November.

With the German manufacturer now being directly involved in the rapidly growing FIA-sanctioned all-electric series, there has been speculation that the most accomplished driver in Mercedes Formula 1 history, Lewis Hamilton, will make the move to Formula E.

According to team principal and CEO Toto Wolff, this is something that has been discussed long before Mercedes launched their Formula E team. Here is what he had to say to SNTV.

"”Lewis follows a lot of motorsports and we have certainly already talked about Formula E. When we were both unable to sleep in Shanghai, it came on TV and we sat together watching. We exchanged some ideas there then. Lewis is a versatile driver who really has an eye for that sport. If the popularity for Formula E will increase, then he really is someone who is open to it. But now his focus is still on Formula 1.”"

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Hamilton is currently under contract with Mercedes through the 2020 season after signing a two-year contract extension in July of 2018. However, there is speculation that he will return for at least the 2021 season in an attempt to break the all-time championships record of seven held by Michael Schumacher.

With 81 career Grand Prix victories, the 34-year-old Briton is well on his way to breaking Schumacher’s all-time wins record of 91; Hamilton hasn’t won fewer than nine races in a season since the 2013 season, so he will more than likely break that record before the 2020 season ends. However, even if he wins the 2019 championship like he is slated to, he could only possibly tie Schumacher’s titles record next year, and he could only possibly break it in 2021.

Certainly if Formula E continues to grow, Hamilton could and should consider joining Mercedes to compete in it. That said, even if the series doesn’t take off in popularity over the next few years, the addition of Hamilton to Formula E could spark major growth in itself, so it’s hard to see Mercedes or Hamilton definitively ruling it out.

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Will Lewis Hamilton make the move to Formula E once he retires from Formula 1? When will he end up retiring from the latter, and how many race victories and championships will he have to his name when he does?

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