Lewis Hamilton believes he is fit enough to continue racing in Formula 1 in the coming years, after signalling that he would like to sign a new multi-year contract with Mercedes . Hamilton will be 38 years old in January, which would make him a year older than when Michael Schumacher first announced his retirement from F1. Most athletes at this stage in their career often see a natural decline in their ability to stay at the top level of fitness, which Hamilton admits is harder to maintain when getting older. "Since I was a kid, I was good at athletics, so I had that natural level [of fitness]," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.com . "But to be able to take it to another level, and particularly as you're getting older, it does get harder for all of us."
Hamilton: 'conscious decision' to improve training
To combat the struggle to stay on top of his fitness, the seven-time World Champion says he has been exploring other areas in his training off track. He added: "[You have to] be more meticulous with your diet and training. Like for example, [I was] doing Pilates Reformer with a good friend of mine that's an Olympic athlete. "It was so funny because it's something that we've never really done before. I've done Pilates, but just adding different things that I wouldn't normally do and being more specific with my daily routine, way more than when I was 22. I wasn't doing the things [then] that I'm doing today. "So, it's definitely been a conscious decision, and it's also just my mental wellbeing, being enough to find a balance in my life. Being very, very protective of your energy and where you spend your time."
Hamilton not distracted by off-track ventures
In the last few years Hamilton has shown that he has other interests outside of F1, including working with fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger, making his own music, appearing in video games, and his Mission 44 charity. He most recently launched film and TV company 'Dawn Apollo Films' and is working with Brad Pitt on an F1 film set to be recorded next year. When asked about whether those ventures will take a backseat if the continues to race in F1, Hamilton reaffirmed that his priority is to win races with Mercedes. "My priority is my job here with the team, but we're only racing on the weekends. There is time in between to do the work that I'm doing with Mission 44, I'm able to kind of steer the ship still on that for example," he explained. "But if I know that it's going to affect my preparation, like getting away from my training or my time with the team, or have any possible impact on our race weekend, it's a big no. And that's with friends, with relationships, this [F1] is what I'm focused on."
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