Hamilton plans to race ‘well into my 40s’

Lewis Hamilton says he will be racing “well into my 40s” and views Fernando Alonso’s longevity as a sign of how long he can aim to perform at the highest level. Alonso’s new contract with Aston Martin will see him racing in Formula 1 beyond the age of 45, with his deal committing him to driving until at least the end of the 2026 season. The 39-year-old Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of this year to move to Ferrari and sees the new regulations in two seasons’ time as a motivating factor to achieve more success. “I’m going to be racing well into my 40s,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “So it’s no short-term thing. I’m going to be racing for quite some time still, so it’s definitely good that he (Alonso) is still around. I hope that he keeps going for a little bit longer as well. “I think it’s a real positive, firstly because it means I’m not the oldest driver here, so that’s the best part, but also Fernando’s one of the best drivers we’ve had in the sport. So for him to continue to be here, to continue to have the output that he’s had, just shows what’s possible.” With Hamilton unhappy at a line of questioning in Japan about how much he might be looking forward to joining Ferrari given the start to the season Mercedes is having, the seven-time world champion says he will draw on his experience of leaving McLaren in 2012 to handle that focus throughout the coming months. “I don’t feel like I need my decision vindicating. I know what was right for me, and that hasn’t changed since the moment that I made the decision. There’s not been a moment where I questioned it, and I’m not swayed by other people’s comments. “Even today, there’s people continuing to talk **** and it will continue on for the rest of the year. And I’ll have to just do what I did the previous time. Only you can know what’s right for you and it will be an exciting time for me.”