Formula 1 fans are having to get their sporting fix right now from other competitions and disciplines as racing takes its summer break, but there is still plenty of rumours and firm news for fans to keep on top of as we edge towards the Dutch Grand Prix in just over a weeks time.
Seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been back in the news again in the more recent days, and in an interview the 39 year old British talent slightly hinted that he might now have a loose retirement date set in his mind as he discussed the rigours and gruelling nature of the annual F1 calendar. For those racing fans who like live play online, they probably feel a connection between the thrill of a roulette wheel and being behind the wheel.
Canadian F1 fans will be well aware that a potential retirement decision has been hanging over his head for the last few years now given his age, and he has certainly had a storied career in professional racing, dating back to 2007 and having originally driven for McLaren before making the extremely well timed switch to Mercedes where he ultimately made himself an icon in the sport. Having finished fourth the other month at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, his own Canadian fans would love to see him take pole and the win at the next time of asking.
Whilst the last few years have proven to be more difficult for him, as Mercedes struggled with the performance of their car, we already know that he has already accepted a new challenge with Ferrari for the coming season – and many speculated at the point that Hamilton may have viewed it as a ‘bucket list’ career decision before he did finally hang up his helmet given Ferrari’s rich, and historic ties to the racing world.
Being associated with Enzo Ferrari’s ultimate brainchild is something most professional drivers would love to have on their CV’s, and from Hamilton’s point of view, the potential opportunity of having at least one more final shot at that historic eighth world championship title with such a storied race team would truly be the icing on the cake.
Not least when you factor in that having already matched Michael Schumacher’s seven wins to currently share the joint title, with Schumacher being Ferrari’s most successful driver in their history, there would be a certain added element of poetry to it.
That is for the future though, and it will be a future that both Hamilton and Ferrari will hope proves to be true, but with a growing F1 calendar – not least this season will be the longest in history (24 races across 21 countries) – it is understandable as to why Hamilton believes that there should be more breaks now, particularly if F1 continues to add more dates in the search of more money.
Some would counter that he, like others, are incredibly well paid for what they do and that compared to many people on the planet, even a modicum of success in what is a short career in comparison, will set them up for life, and yes of course, that is absolutely true.
But taking that view also largely misses the point.
The make up of the calendar means a mid to late December finish, with training beginning again in January, and drivers are back on the grid in February. As Hamilton rightly points out that is not a lot of down time, it is not a great deal of time to let your hair down, recover and switch off, particularly when you consider the speeds, strains and pressures that the sport places on both the mind and body.
Hamilton has often been controversial across his career, and there will certainly be plenty of racing fans out there who find themselves probably agreeing with him as often as they disagree with him, but few could really argue with his point here I would think.
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