Lewis Hamilton didn’t need the media pen to make his point in Japan. On the Suzuka grid, chatting with Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami, the 40-year-old cracked a smile and later cracked a line that did the rounds: as long as Fernando Alonso keeps racing, he might too. “I’ll keep going until he’s 50,” he joked.
The punchline landed, but the message behind it was the real story. Hamilton’s not winding down. Not mentally, not physically, and certainly not publicly. Speaking to L’Equipe, he batted away the idea of an early exit from Formula 1. “I have no intention of stopping anytime soon,” he said, taking direct aim at whispers that his Ferrari chapter might be a short one.
Hamilton picked quite a time to change teams. He arrived in Maranello as he turned 40, charging headfirst into a project that’s part fairytale and part bare-knuckle fight: deliver Ferrari’s first drivers’ crown since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and make history in the process. An eighth title would push him clear of Michael Schumacher and, if it came after his 40th birthday, make him the first champion in that age bracket since Jack Brabham in 1966. Only Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio have been older title winners.
So far, though, life in red has been more grit than glamour. Aside from a Sprint win in China, the Grand Prix podium remains elusive in the SF-25. The integration work has been real: new car, new people, and a teammate in Charles Leclerc who knows the house and the walls it can throw up. That gap has been narrowing of late as Hamilton leans into the Ferrari way, but it hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from revving — talk of tired legs, wavering hunger, even a mid-contract exit at season’s end.
Hamilton’s answer: absolutely not. He even appreciates having Alonso around to change the conversation. The Aston Martin driver, 44 now and still razor-sharp, provides Hamilton a convenient age marker — and a competitive one. “I really appreciate that Fernando Alonso is continuing, because it means he’s older than me,” Hamilton quipped.
Not everyone’s convinced he should carry on. Bernie Ecclestone suggested Hamilton ought to call it a day to protect his legacy. Hamilton shrugged that off with the same calm he’s shown against louder challenges over the years. There’s a quiet conviction to him at the moment — that comfort of a driver who knows exactly why he’s still here.
That conviction comes with sacrifice. Hamilton’s clear-eyed about what the job demands and what it doesn’t leave room for. He admires the balance others have found — Federer, Djokovic, Brady — but it’s not how he’s wired, at least not now. “The love of my life is Formula 1,” he said. “I don’t like doing things halfway; I wouldn’t give 100 per cent.” He’s not interested in trade-offs between family and performance. The choice, he says, is simple: go all in.
He’s also realistic about what happens when it’s over. Don’t expect Hamilton to be a paddock fixture, collecting passes and popping into garages every other Sunday. If anything, he sounds closer to Sebastian Vettel’s low-profile fade than the constant presence some ex-champions prefer. “I don’t know if I really want to come back,” he admitted of life after F1. Maybe time will soften that stance. Maybe not. It’s not a bridge he needs to cross yet.
In the meantime, the task is immediate. Ferrari hired Hamilton to bend timelines and break streaks, and he still believes the door’s open. The SF-25 has shown flashes; the relationship with the team is maturing; and the calendar is long enough to make early judgments look silly. Leclerc remains the benchmark inside the garage. Hamilton’s chasing him now, and the interesting thing about Hamilton is that he tends to get you eventually.
So yes, he laughed about Alonso turning 50. But beneath the grin at Suzuka was a driver who’s not done writing. And if Alonso keeps on keeping on, Hamilton might just keep his watch set to Spanish time a little while longer.
