Lewis Hamilton has expressed a desire to emulate British F1 legend Stirling Moss and carve a legacy with Mercedes.
Moss was associated with Mercedes throughout his career and continued that relationship even after he stopped racing. Hamilton is in the last year of his Mercedes contract, and with no contract extension signed, questions have been raised over the driver's future.
While Hamilton has assured that he's not considering other options, the questions have persisted. Recently, the Mercedes driver told Motorsport.com about his desire to emulate Stirling Moss:
“I feel amazing about it. I continue to feel very much at home. It's family. I see myself being with Mercedes till my last days, to be honest. If you look at the legends, Sir Stirling Moss was with Mercedes till the end of days. So, that's been the dream for me to one day have that. … well I have that, so I mean just continue on with that and continue to build with the brand.”
"I've got some amazing allies within the team" - Lewis Hamilton
Further accentuating his point, Lewis Hamilton said that he has some great relationship at Mercedes, which he has built over the years. The driver has been part of the team for over a decade now and admits that Brackley feels like home to him:
“I've got some amazing allies within the team. I've got great relationships here. I think, for me personally, just as long as I can continue to help the team, as long as I can continue to help drive the team forwards and really contribute, then that's why I want to stay."
He added:
“If there's ever going to be a point where I feel like I'm not able to do that, then it's time for a youngster to come in to take my seat. But I'm still pretty young, in pretty decent shape.”
Lewis Hamilton's future is always going to be a hot topic in F1 till it's secured. The contract extension, if everything was smooth, should have happened by now. That it has not means Hamilton could be exploring other options.
While Stirling Moss is surely an amazing inspiration for any driver, it won't be a surprise if Hamilton leaves Mercedes for a better prospect next season.