Lewis Hamilton makes bold retirement claim as he gets ready for his first F1 season with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that he's not looking to retire from the sport as soon as he wins his 8th world title. The title no. 8 has become this elusive thing for the F1 legend ever since he missed it narrowly in 2021 against Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton is currently a 7-time world champion. He won his first world title in 2008 with McLaren, becoming the youngest world champion at the time (a record that was eventually broken by Sebastian Vettel). The driver would then move to Mercedes in 2013 and go on a dominant run from 2014 to 2020, a period in which he added 6 more titles.

At 7 titles, he's matched Michael Schumacher's feat of most titles in the sport. If he does end up winning an 8th, he would become the sole record holder of most titles in F1. The driver was very close to breaking the record in 2021, but the controversial way in which the title decider was handled meant that Lewis Hamilton couldn't secure it.

At 40 years of age, many have speculated that it is the hunt for the 8th title that has kept Lewis Hamilton going in F1, and if he secures it at Ferrari, he would retire soon after. The Brit has, however, denied any such claim. Talking to the media, including MotorsportsWeek, Hamilton said that he wouldn't stop even if he wins his first title with Ferrari.

“To me, it’s the first. Winning the championship for Ferrari is the first. That’s what I’m working towards. I don’t think about the number eight. I’m thinking about the first championship that the teams won for some time. But they’ve already had many, many World Championships over the history. So, for me, it’s looking for that first one with the team. And how can I contribute to that? How can I help them achieve that?”

He added,

"If I was fortunate enough to win another title, which is obviously what we’re setting out to do, I don’t see myself stopping,” he added.

Lewis Hamilton thankful that he's achieved 7 titles already

The driver has joined Ferrari in 2025, and it does appear that the Italian team would have a strong contender this season. To add to this, the new environment is something that has been invigorating for Hamilton, as he's stated. When questioned if the added factors have given him an added boost that he could pick up another title, the driver said,

“Yes, but I’m also aware [that] there a lot of drivers that never ever get to win a World Championship, first and foremost. I’ve been fortunate to work in two teams previously, work with great organisations. You’ve seen in the history of the sport, where you’ve got great teams and things don’t align and they end up, some of them not winning World Championships.”

If Lewis Hamilton does win the 8th world title, it would also mean that he's won titles with 3 different teams, a feat that even the great Michael Schumacher was unable to accomplish in his career.