Hamilton Says ‘I Can Only Lose At Life’ As He Admits He Contemplated Retirement

Posted on December 1, 2023 | by Dre Harrison If you’re an F1 fan, you probably already know about arguably the biggest flashpoint of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 career and the way he missed out on the 2021 world championship. Lewis took an extended hiatus from social media and mainstream life after that title-losing heartbreak and in a sit down interview with a small group of journalists including Mark Hughes at The Race, the seven-time champion opened up about that downtime, and why he was openly considering retirement. “There was so much going through my mind during that period in time,” said Lewis. “But one of the worst things you can do is make decisions based on emotions and when you are emotional and in the heat of that moment, more often than not, you’re not going to make the best decisions.” “It was a really, really difficult period of time, so I had to just wait until things calmed down, that I was clear in my thought and I was able to then make the right decisions.” Hamilton admitted he didn’t take advice from anyone regarding his career, and instead leaned on his family to get him through that time.  “I was around my niece and nephew and was in a beautiful place,” continued Lewis. “In Hawaii with my family and at a point where I just felt really content and felt I just wanted to get up again and keep going.” Instead, Lewis went the other way and has since signed an extension with Mercedes that will likely take Lewis into his forties as a driver through 2025. The man himself went deep into his new way of thinking.  “I think what you get to learn is you should never say never but at that point, I definitely didn’t think I’d be continuing. They are long seasons. It’s a long time away from everyone and I’ve been doing it 16 years. It’s gruelling. “There’s lots of glitz and glamour and a lot that’s positive, but it’s by no means freaking easy to stay at your best, to stay committed, to keep up the training, to continue to deliver constantly.”  “It’s a lot of pressure, being scrutinised all the time, and I’m in a place in my life where there’s no way I can win. If I win a race it’s, ‘Oh, he’s a seven-time world champion, with 103 wins’. If I don’t do well it’s [a big deal]. “I can only lose at this point in life and for sure there was a point when I was questioning whether or not I wanted to go through that.” Powerful words from the F1 legend, turning the biggest setback of his career into what next year will be his 18th season in the sport! Did you think Lewis was going to retire after 2021?