Lewis Hamilton reiterated his desire to continue racing amid speculation surrounding his retirement. Speaking during the press conference ahead of the 2026 Canadian GP, the Ferrari driver expressed his intention to remain in Formula 1 for the next few years.
Oliver Bearman, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz are among the drivers speculated to potentially replace Hamilton should he decide to retire. Since the start of the season, there has been continued speculation surrounding the future of the seven-time world champion. Some reports have even suggested that Hamilton could consider retiring after this season, making 2026 the final year of his career.
Hamilton dismissed the rumors and insisted that he plans to continue in the sport longer than many expect. He pointed to both his contract with Ferrari and his enduring passion for Formula 1 as key reasons behind his decision to keep racing.
Lewis Hamilton said:
“There’s a lot of people that are trying to retire me. That’s not even on my thoughts. I’m already thinking of what will be next and planning for like the next five years, but I still plan to be here for some time. I’m still in contract, so everything’s 100 per cent clear to me. I still love what I do with all my heart, and I’m going to be here for quite some time. So get used to it.”
Lewis Hamilton prioritises data analysis over simulator prep ahead of the Canadian GP
Lewis Hamilton preferred spending more time analysing data ahead of the Canadian GP rather than focusing heavily on simulator preparation. The Ferrari driver felt that working through the data helped him better understand and optimize his braking performance. He admitted that he leaned on this approach more frequently throughout 2025, believing that setups developed in the simulator often translate quite differently once the car hits the track.
Explaining the reasons for not using the simulator before Canada, Lewis Hamilton said:
“With simulations, I feel that the goalposts are always moving. Last year I used it every week and more often than not, I felt that you do all the work on the sim and you find a set-up that you’re comfortable with, you get to the track and everything’s opposite, so you’re undoing the things you’ve learned.”
He added:
“Last year I used it every week and more often than not, I felt that you do all the work on the sim and you find a set-up that you’re comfortable with, you get to the track and everything’s opposite so you’re undoing the things you’ve learned.”
Further explaining his race prep ahead of this weekend, Lewis Hamilton said:
“I just decided for this one, I was going to sit it out and focus more on the data. There was just a lot of deep diving on through-corner balance, mechanical balance, corner approaches, brake balance, optimising the brakes – which has been a problem for me for some time. That’s led to really good integration with my engineers.”
Lewis Hamilton was among the drivers who never particularly enjoyed using simulators, much like Kimi Raikkonen. A common trait shared by both drivers has been their instinctive driving style.
However, the Briton began relying on simulators more during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In 2022, Hamilton admitted that the introduction of Formula 1’s new ground-effect regulations had increased the need for simulator work. With Ferrari appearing to be in a competitive position performance-wise in 2026, the Canadian GP could prove to be one of the circuits where Hamilton may excel.
Edited by Steffi
