Hamilton wants five more years in F1 amid calls to strip Verstappen of 2021 title

Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton appears to have made a U-turn after holding back on signing a long-term deal to stay in F1 just last year. Now, team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that the British driver has expressed his desire to continue for five more years.

It may be remembered that Hamilton made his fans nervous after his contract with Mercedes expired at the end of the 2020 season. The entire winter went by with negotiations taking much longer than everyone expected. In fact, his one-year deal to race in 2021 was only announced just a few weeks before the season opened.

Wolff wanted to avoid the same situation and secured a two-year deal with Hamilton for 2022-23 with a lot less fanfare than the year before. Now, despite all the speculations surrounding the seven-time world champion's possible retirement, the Austrian has revealed that the 37-year-old may stay in the sport well beyond his 40s.

"We speak a lot together. Last week we sat down and he says, 'Look, I have another five years in me how do you see that?' Over time we have just grown together," said Wolff, in an interview quoted by The Sun. "We are totally transparent with each other," he added.

Wolff acknowledged that age is not on their side, but he thinks that Hamilton knows his own limits. "Lewis will be the first one to say, 'I can't do this any more' because I feel I haven't got the reactions any more," he shared.

He also said that Hamilton is not oblivious to the presence of the new breed of younger drivers who are brimming with talent.

Despite all that, he is confident that Hamilton will sign an extension. The driver hinted the same recently when he said that he is determined to help Mercedes return to the top.

After dominating for eight seasons in a row, they are out of contention for both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championship titles this season. Last year, they claimed the Constructors' title, but Hamilton narrowly lost out on a possible eighth Drivers' World Championship to Max Verstappen.

Many thought that the devastating loss at the final lap of the season in Abu Dhabi may have dampened the Briton's desire to race, coupled with the miserable start of the 2022 campaign for the Silver Arrows. However, amid reports that Verstappen is in danger of being stripped of his maiden title, he appears to have more motivation to continue.

Recent reports claim that the FIA is investigating Red Bull Racing for possibly going over the budget cap last season, which may lead to a penalty. However, the team has denied overstepping the rules. The FIA report is due to come out on Wednesday.