Hamilton pours cold water on Ricciardo plan

2 years ago 147

Lewis Hamilton insists helium has nary plans to discontinue from Formula One aft this disappointing season, and the seven-time satellite champion added helium wants to enactment astatine Mercedes "until the time I die."

Hamilton is winless done 15 races this play and sixth successful the standings. He trails reigning satellite champion Max Verstappen, who bushed Hamilton for past year's rubric successful a arguable season-ending race, by 152 points heading into the Italian Grand Prix connected Sunday.

Ricciardo bombs successful Belgium

The mediocre rollout of Mercedes' draggy 2022 car has Hamilton successful information of the archetypal winless play of his 16-year career.

There's been speculation Daniel Ricciardo could determination to Mercedes arsenic a reserve operator adjacent season, past instrumentality implicit for Hamilton erstwhile the Briton's declaration expires astatine the extremity of 2023.

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"For years we've beryllium going around, up and down with stories of status and stopping and for me, I consciousness healthier than I've ever felt," the 37-year-old Hamilton responded erstwhile helium was asked astir it portion sitting adjacent to Ricciardo astatine a quality league connected Thursday.

"As I absorption a batch connected that, I'm feeling fit, I emotion what I'm doing and I don't program connected stopping anytime soon."

He past turned to Ricciardo, who had been whispering to Hamilton done the 30-minute quality conference, "sorry, buddy."

"I deliberation helium should beryllium racing, firstly," helium said. "I deliberation he's acold excessively talented — he's earnt the close to beryllium amongst america each racing.

"Of people if he's a portion of our team, it'd beryllium great, but a 3rd relation is not truly I deliberation the abstraction for him.

"If I was managing him, he'd beryllium racing."

Hamilton is successful his 10th play with Mercedes. He moved determination aft six seasons with McLaren.

"I emotion that we person the agelong concern we have. I consciousness similar we are embarking connected a batch of truly affirmative things, not lone successful the athletics but outside," Hamilton continued.

"And I deliberation there's a batch of enactment to execute together. So I privation to beryllium a portion of that, I deliberation I'll ever beryllium with Mercedes, until the time I die. And I consciousness similar I tin contention for rather a spot longer truthful I'll beryllium perchance steering towards that."

Australian F1 operator Daniel Ricciardo dropped by McLaren squad for adjacent season

Hamilton was acceptable to instrumentality a grid punishment for utilizing a 4th powerfulness portion — 1 implicit the bounds — arsenic a effect of his clang astatine the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo won astatine Monza past twelvemonth to grounds McLaren's archetypal F1 triumph since 2012. But helium heads into this year's contention with his aboriginal uncertain aft a buyout was negotiated with the Australian connected the last twelvemonth of his McLaren contract.

"I'm truly assessing everything and I mean, successful short, I don't person thing teed up yet," Ricciardo said. "And I deliberation erstwhile I bash I'll beryllium the archetypal to archer you, there's nary crushed for maine to clasp backmost immoderate accusation now. It's benignant of each unfastened and retired there.

"So I'm definite implicit time, the close thing, immoderate that ends up being, volition marque sense," helium continued. "It's not conscionable astir what's close for adjacent year, it's what's close for my future. It goes beyond 2023. So it's complex, but erstwhile I know, you will."

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