Hamilton still driven by pursuit of perfection

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he remains driven by the pursuit of the unrealistic target of perfection in F1 as he continues to chase a record-breaking eighth drivers’ championship.

In the build-up to the recent Italian Grand Prix, it was announced that Hamilton had agreed a new two-year extension to his deal with Mercedes that will take him through to the end of 2025 when he will be 40.

For now, Hamilton and Mercedes are having to accept playing second fiddle to Max Verstappen and Red Bull whose dominance is scaling new heights beyond those achieved by the British driver and his team when they ruled F1 from 2014-2020.

For the next two years, Hamilton insists “the target is simple”, yet appreciates “achieving that target is not” as the current rules under which Red Bull is thriving remain in place for the next two seasons before a major overhaul in 2026.

“It’s going to take all of us pulling together,” said Hamilton. “I think every team here, and every driver, is working so hard to get on top of the aero package they have and the team they have and pull everyone together.

“Having everyone firing on all cylinders is not easy in a large team. That takes consistent work. It’s the same from a driver’s perspective, just making sure you’re performing every weekend.

“Even though I’ve been driving and racing all these years, I still feel like I can improve each weekend.

“That’s what I love about this sport – you’re never going to reach perfection, but the pursuit of perfection is one of the most exciting things about what we do.”

It is part of the reason why Hamilton insists there was never any doubt he would continue, even though his winless drought now stretches back 21 months and 37 races.

Hamilton, though, maintains he is not a quitter, and that he is determined to continue helping Mercedes fight its way out of the current situation.

“Last year was a difficult year,” assessed Hamilton.

“I’m pretty sure everyone was questioning whether they wanted to continue because it’s just tough at the top, and it’s such a tough sport.

“But that feeling, that thought, quickly goes away and you put your work, your mind, and your energy into being the best you can be and dealing with the situations you’re faced with.

“So I’m really proud of what we achieved last year to get through it, and while we started on the wrong foot this year, to have had some really great results, we’re second in the constructors’ championship, and the plan is to keep that and then close the gap to the guy ahead.”