Hamilton: Something inside telling me, "You’re not done yet"

The seven-time Formula 1 Champion's contract with Mercedes runs at the end of the 2023 season, with team boss Toto Wolff confirming contract extension talks with their driver are set to be held over the winter break.

Hamilton is still chasing that elusive eighth F1 Drivers' Crown, that puts him one place ahead of German legend Michael Schumacher with whom he's now tied on seven.

After losing out to Max Verstappen in 2021, 2022 saw Mercedes drop the ball with their W13, meaning having another go at the Title was not possible for Hamilton, while Verstappen secured a second dominant Title.

Hamilton spoke of his future in top flight, and while he insisted he doesn't plan on racing "forever", he revealed he still has the drive to go on for now.

"It’s not forever, but something inside is telling me, ‘You’re not done yet. You’ve got to keep pushing. You’ve got more to do, more to achieve,” the Briton said in an interview with The New York Times.

"It’s going to be hard one day, stopping racing," he added. "I’ve done it for 30 years, and it’ll be 30-plus years when I do eventually stop. Luckily for me, right this second, it’s not now."

The winner of 103 grands prix revealed a split in the "Hamilton Camp" regarding what he should do with his future in F1.

He said: "My dad and my brother, they’re like, ‘Yeah, keep racing forever,’ because they’re racers. For my mum and my sister, I can definitely sense they want me to do whatever I want to do.

"They can also see how tiring it is, that it weighs heavy on you. Sometimes when I go around to my sister’s house I just pass out on the couch," he added.

Asked why he wants to keep racing, Hamilton said: "Because there’s no doubt that I love what I do. I really do love the challenge every weekend, how we, as a team, show up every weekend."

Hamilton will start his 11th season with Mercedes in 2023, the final one on his current contract, as we now have to wait what he and Mercedes agree for 2024 and beyond.