Lewis Hamilton reveals retirement feelings amid Mercedes new contract uncertainty | F1 | Sport

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he regularly thinks about F1 retirement as uncertainty remains over his future in the sport. The seven-time champion admitted he sometimes considers walking away and has to “dig deep” to re-motivate himself.

The revelations will be concerning for fans of the Mercedes star who want to see him remain in the cockpit. Hamilton has yet to put pen to paper on a new deal at Mercedes with his current agreement set to expire in months.

Hamilton posted on Instagram: “Some days I feel like stopping. When I start to feel this way I dig deep and remember I’m on a mission. Whether you realise it or not, you’re on a mission too. We’re all chasing something.

“Some dream or goal that will make us better people, make our lives more fulfilling, and make us proud of ourselves. Some days it’ll feel impossible to get there, but it’s not. We can get it. We will get it.

“I know you’re with me, I feel the love and support and just know I’m sending it back to you tenfold. We got this.” It comes as Hamilton and Mercedes continue to struggle with the Silver Arrows around a second per lap slower than Red Bull.

The German marque has even appeared to take a backward step with the squad now behind Aston Martin in the pecking order. Despite talks of Hamilton being close to agreeing to a multi-year extension over the winter, no further details have emerged.

He has since publicly attacked Mercedes engineers for the direction of the W14 and called on mechanics to “own up”. Some pundits have tipped the Briton to leave the German outfit with Ferrari routed as a possible option.

However, Hamilton has pledged to stick by his Mercedes family on more than one occasion. When asked if he could be tempted to join a rival team, Hamilton replied: “I’m not focused on that — I love this team and I’m so grateful for everyone that’s been on this journey with me.

“I don’t envisage being anywhere else, I don’t see myself quitting.” Furthermore, Hamilton has also revealed he would stay in the sport until he clinched his eighth world title.

He made the admission in a lie detector test conducted by Sky Sports F1 ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.