Hamilton welcomes Mercedes talks: I've got plenty left in the tank

Lewis Hamilton says he still has plenty left to give in Formula 1 after becoming only the sixth driver in the sport's history to have started 300 Grands Prix.

Since debuting in the sport in 2007, Hamilton has only missed one race, sitting out the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for Covid-19.

On the eve of Hamilton's milestone race at last weekend's French Grand Prix, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff suggested that the Briton would be capable of reaching 400 Grands Prix – a feat that would make Hamilton the most experienced F1 driver of all time.

Asked about Wolff's comments after the race at Paul Ricard, Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.com: "That's a lot of races! I firstly just want to be grateful to get to this point.

"But I still feel fresh and still feel like I've got plenty of fuel left in the tank.

"I'm enjoying what I'm doing, I'm really proud and am enjoying arriving every day and working with this incredible group of people.

"I'm also enjoying working with the sport more than ever.

"We've got some great people leading the sport and having great conversations about the directions we are going as a sport, so I'm enjoying it more than ever."

Hamilton hungry for further improvements

While Hamilton's Mercedes squad have slipped back in competitiveness this year relative to their almost unbroken success from 2014 to 2021, the Briton scored his and Mercedes' best result of the year at Paul Ricard with second place, and underscored his eagerness to return to the top step of the podium.

"I want to get back to winning ways and that's going to take time, but I'm sure we'll sit down at some stage and talk about the future," said Hamilton.

"But again, just with our team, I always want to continue to be building.

"It's one thing having races, but it's also continuing the work that we do outside and doing more, which I think Mercedes and us can always do more, and we will."