Lewis Hamilton reveals he’ll have to fly FIGHTER JETS when he retires from F1 as Brit legend reveals retirement plan

LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed the reason he is still competing in Formula One, despite admitting he has had thoughts about retirement.

The seven-time world champion has gotten back on the top step of the podium twice this season following a two-season win drought.

Hamilton, 39, is swapping the silver arrows of Mercedes for the scarlet red of Ferrari at the start of next season after stunning the world by announcing a two-year deal with the Scuderia at the start of the year.

After making his debut in 2007, the 2025 season will be his 19th behind the wheel of an F1 car, but Hamilton has now revealed that his thrill-seeker lifestyle has left him unable to step away.

He said: “For me personally, when I get strapped in the first time and they start up the car, I get the same bubbly feeling inside.

“And then when everyone moves the tyre blankets away and you pull out into the pit lane and drive out into Turn 1 and just do your first lap, I always get a huge thrill.

“There’s so many moments that I still pinch myself that I still get to do this. It’s really something I wish you could all feel and experience.

“But the cool thing… and it’s probably why I’m still racing, is that it’s not become such the norm that I don’t feel it.

“If I was numb to it, that would really suck, and I’d probably be doing something else. But I’d have to fly fighter jets or something… to come anywhere near close.”

Hamilton has openly flirted with doing other things after his F1 career ends.

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He has already done some acting and had a hand in producing movies, including Brad Pitt’s F1 film scheduled for release next year.

But fighter jets, which Hamilton almost worked with when he was asked to star in Top Gun: Maverick, would be a different ballpark altogether.

F1 drivers sometimes surpass 6Gs of lateral force behind the wheel, while fighter jets can sometimes hit as high as 9Gs.

That being said, Hamilton said he has no immediate plans to retire, and while speaking to Esquire magazine he added: “There are days I’m like, ‘shoot, I don’t know how much longer I can go.

“There are days I’m like, ‘shoot, I’d love a break’ because you don’t get a real big break in the season like other sports.

“You’re not really getting a huge amount of downtime. But I do have, mentally, a plan of where I would like to extend to.

“I’ve just got to strategise and sequence things. Is there a time when I’m not all in, and I’m just not in love with it anymore? 

“That’s the moment that hopefully never happens, in the sense that I’ve fallen out of love with it.

“But I will know when I need to stop. I want to make sure I really max it out while I can and fully enjoy this sport I’ve done my whole life. There are so many people that have finished their careers early.

“And I’ve spoken to many who’ve said they wish they could have just done one more year or two.

“And they’re like, ‘Stay in as long as you can!’ But I don’t want to do it if I’m not good.”

Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes was confirmed as Kimi Antonelli before the most recent race in Monza, Italy, though the teen suffered a scary crash as he took to the wheel during Free Practice One.

Hamilton finished 5th as future Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc expertly pulled off a one-stop strategy to outrun the aggressive two-stop of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and claim victory.

The next race this coming weekend sees F1 return to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has been replaced by teen prodigy Ollie Bearman after picking up too many penalty points on his super licence.

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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk