Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton Might Retire At The End Of The Season

Lewis Hamilton has said he is open to the idea of retiring at the end of the 2017 season, claiming it would not change his legacy. The three-time world champion's current Mercedes contract expires in 2018, though he has previously claimed he envisaged signing one more contract in Formula 1 that would see him compete well into his late thirties.

Speaking to the FIA's official in-house magazine, Hamilton admitted he didn't think his standing in the sport would be affected if he were to walk away this year.

He said “My destiny is in my own hands. I can decide to stop at the end of this year does that mean my legacy is less great than it would be if I stop in five years' time? Who's to say? I don't like to plan for it because I don't know what's around the corner, I don't know what I'm going to do. Whatever I know I'm going to do, if I apply myself the way I've always applied myself in my racing and I apply it to anything else I want to do in life, or even if it's still in racing, I feel I can achieve great things. I'm never going to stop pushing the limits of whatever it is I do with myself and I'm always going to strive for greatness in whatever world it is that I'm in. So I think that mission or that mentality will create my legacy.”