Lewis Hamilton Said Tom Brady Inspired Him To Sign New F1 Deal And Race Into His 40s

Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Mercedes announced that they have locked in drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell through the 2025 seasons.

This means that Hamilton — who is currently 38-years-old — will race into his 40s.

According to F1 writer Chris Medland for Racer, the seven-time World Champion credits the drive to compete for that long to another seven-time World Champion: Tom Brady.

“I think I look at people like Tom Brady, who is such an incredible athlete and has shown what can be done today, so he’s the real role model in that respect for all athletes to look at,” Hamilton said. “I’m really, really fortunate to speak to him to understand as well what he’s done and what he does consistently to keep himself in shape, and he has expressed it in the media anyway."

Hamilton has talked about Brady before but the parallels between the two are interesting. Both have enjoyed lengthy careers with 7 championships, but even outside the sport, there are similarities. Both are NFL owners, even more ironically, of AFC West teams. Hamilton is part of the Broncos ownership group while Brady recently bought into the Raiders.

Hamilton didn't even need to look outside of F1 to be inspired by drivers making it work into their 40s. Heck, he used to be teammates with 42-year-old Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.

“Of course, it’s great to see Fernando," Hamilton said. "He was here way before I was and took that retirement and came back, and is doing an amazing job. It just shows that that talent never really leaves you as long as you have that passion and that commitment, you can continue.”

Lewis Hamilton will continue to drive for the Silver Arrows into his 40s. (Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

Re-Upping With Mercedes Was Hamilton's Only Available, Logical Option

Hamilton's new deal was the cork holding up a good bit of the driver market. There were rumblings that he might move to Ferrari. However, the truth is Mercedes is the only available option if he wants to win an eighth championship.

Mercedes isn't the all-conquering team it was from the start of the Turbo-Hybrid era through the 2022 regulations changes.

Hamilton is still an extremely capable driver, and the decline in performance is a combination of a poorly designed 2022 car and uncharacteristic mistakes from a Mercedes team that was virtually bullet-proof for a decade.

However, Mercedes routinely outperforms Ferrari. So, aside from the allure of throwing on a Rosso Corsa-colored first with a prancing horse on it, there's no reason to join Ferrari.

At least not if he's looking to win, and Hamilton is always looking to win.

With eyes off of where Lewis Hamilton will land for 2024 and beyond the driver market dominos should start to fall.

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle