Lewis Hamilton says F1 has never had anyone like him
The Ferrari driver, seven-time world champion, says he is built differently and wants to race into his mid-forties.
Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1 has never had anyone like him in its 70-year history and that he remains all in on racing. He is third in the drivers' championship and wants to race in Africa.
Key takeaways
- Lewis Hamilton says F1 has never had anyone like him in 70 years
- He is third in the drivers' championship, one point behind George Russell
- F1 has signed a 10-year deal with Rwanda starting in the early 2030s
- Hamilton wants to continue racing into his mid-forties
- Kimi Antonelli is poised to clinch his first world title this weekend in Mexico City
Lewis Hamilton has said Formula 1 has never had anyone like him in the 70 years of the sport and that he feels built differently, BBC Sport reported. The seven-time world champion, who joined Ferrari in 2025, made the comments ahead of this weekend's Mexico Grand Prix. He is battling to finish second in the drivers' championship this season.
Hamilton said he wanted to continue racing into his mid-forties to fulfil a dream of racing in Africa, having campaigned for a Grand Prix there for many years.
F1 has signed a 10-year deal with Rwanda starting in the early 2030s, which will be the first race on the continent since 1993.
Hamilton will be at least 45 when that race takes place, the same age as Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, who is continuing in F1 next year.
Hamilton told a news conference before the Mexico Grand Prix that he should be considered a special case regarding age. He said there are challenges up ahead he cannot foresee that come with age, but noted there have been pre-conceived ideas that reaction time drops off.
He said his reaction time in the last race was faster than some of the youngest drivers.
He added that as long as he is willing to sacrifice everything, he is still all in for the foreseeable future, though he cannot say whether he will want to continue in four years.
Hamilton said time will tell whether he is still racing in the 2030s and that he never wants to overstay his welcome without the performance. He said he has proven he can still compete at the highest level.
Hamilton is third in the drivers' championship, one point behind Mercedes's George Russell, five ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and eight ahead of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes is poised to clinch his first world title this weekend in Mexico City.
There are just 31 points separating Russell in second from McLaren's Lando Norris in sixth. Hamilton holds a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied with Michael Schumacher, and holds records for most wins, pole positions and podium finishes.
Hamilton struggled during his first season with Ferrari but has enjoyed a much more positive campaign this time around, including victory in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in June. The next fixture is this weekend's Mexico Grand Prix in Mexico City.
Drivers' championship positions
Driver | Team | Position relative to Russell |
|---|---|---|
George Russell | Mercedes | Second |
Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | One point behind |
Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Six points behind Russell |
Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Eight points behind Russell |
Lando Norris | McLaren | Sixth, 31 points behind Russell |
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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari driver says he is built differently amid 2030s career plans
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