Max Verstappen feels Lewis Hamilton's contract renewal at Mercedes is "good news" for Formula 1 as the seven-time champion is set to remain on the grid. Months of speculation were ended on Thursday (August 31st) as Mercedes announced Hamilton would be staying on for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with George Russell also agreeing fresh terms. Verstappen was Hamilton's title rival in the 2021 campaign, dethroning the British driver, and feels the fact that Hamilton is staying is only a positive for F1.
Verstappen's Hamilton reaction
"For sure, the news is good for the sport," Verstappen told media including RacingNews365. "And at the end of the day, it's good for himself and Mercedes because they've been already teamed up for a long time and for them to continue that partnership is great. "With the battles, we just have to wait and see what happens between the teams and how everyone is going to perform next year." Hamilton's fresh contract means he will race in F1 until he is at least 40, with Verstappen hinting he may retire after his Red Bull contract expires at the end of 2028 - when he would be 31 years old. The Dutchman is a fan of endurance racing and feels that he would not combine remaining in Grand Prix racing with a World Endurance Championship programme if the opportunity arose. "I don't think I would want to do that," he said. "Because I want to focus on one thing fully, and when you start combining stuff, you can only do one race and so you are not really well prepared."
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