Hamilton Mercedes stay not motivated by Verstappen 'revenge'

Lewis Hamilton has insisted he is "not a revenge person" as he embarks on "unfinished business" with Mercedes after agreeing a fresh contract.

Seven-time champion Hamilton has signed a new deal with Mercedes that will keep him in F1 until at least the end of 2025, bringing to an end months of speculation over his future.

The British driver is keen for the Silver Arrows to reel in Red Bull over the course of the contract having been unable to avenge the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he was denied a record-breaking eighth title after being passed by Max Verstappen on the final lap after a controversial Safety Car restart.

Hamilton's motivation

"On 2021, I am not really a revenge person, and it is not about revenge," Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.

"That is in the past, there is nothing you can do about the past, but what we can do is work harder, be more precise and be better moving forwards.

"I truly believe that with this team, we can win more championships and races together, so that is where all my energy is going.

"Mercedes has supported me since I was 13 and we still have unfinished business. We are in this together and we've got a lot of work to do to get ourselves back to the front, but there's no place I'd rather be.

"The goal is simple, setting the target (to be in championship contention) is simple. but achieving that target is not so it is going to take all of us pulling together.

"Every team and driver here is working so hard to get on top of the aero package they have and pull everyone together and have everyone firing on all cylinders, which is not easy in a large team.

"It takes consistent work, and from a driver's perspective, you've got to make sure that you perform every weekend.

"Even though I have been driving and racing all these years, I still feel like I can improve each weekend and that's what I love about this sport.

"You are never going to reach perfection, but the pursuit of perfection is one of the most exciting things about what we do."