The seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he considered quitting F1 after the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year when a controversial interpretation of the rules denied him the eighth championship.
“I don’t know if I can really put into words the feeling that I had,” Hamilton told Vanity Fair magazine in an interview.
“I do remember just sitting there in disbelief. And realizing I’ve got to undo my belts, I’ve got to get out of there, I’ve got to climb out of this thing, I’ve got to find the strength. I had no strength. And it was one of the toughest moments, I would say, that I’ve had in a long, long time.”
The 37-year-old also admitted that he does not like driving on normal roads because he finds it too stressful.
“I just think that I find it stressful. I try not to do things that don’t add to my life,” he said.
While driving in the busy streets near Nice, Hamilton told his interviewer: “Look, we’re on these roads, anything can happen.” Later, as the traffic built up, he went on to say: “This is now stressful for me. This road is crazy. So much going on here. I’m going to turn around in a second.”
Hamilton is under contract with Mercedes until the end of next year and said he has considered extending his stay in the sport beyond then.
“I’ll be lying if I said that I hadn’t thought about extending,” he said. “I’m still on the mission, I’m still loving driving, I’m still being challenged by it. So I don’t really feel like I have to give it up anytime soon.”
Formula 1 races have recently become very popular both for spectators and for people who enjoy online betting.