Eighth title bid will not decide my future, says Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton says the outcome of his bid for a record eighth world championship this season will not determine whether he stays in Formula One.

The 36-year-old is contracted to Mercedes only until the end of 2021 but he said he was 'fully invested' in delivering for his team.

Asked how much his future hinged on his title bid, the Briton told reporters after the launch of his team's new W12 car that he did not want that to be the deciding factor.

"I got into racing because I loved racing and I think that's got to be always at the core of what I do," he said.

"If I don't love racing, if all you're going for is accolades, if all you're going for is titles, I feel I could potentially lose my way.

"Of course it's the ultimate dream (to be an eight times champion) but I don't think that's necessarily going to be the deciding factor whether I stay or keep going," added the sport's most successful driver.

Hamilton has been a race winner in every season since he started out with McLaren in 2007 and took 11 victories last season.

The Briton now has a record 95 wins, 98 pole positions and 165 podiums.

He missed one of last year's 17 races after testing positive for Covid-19, but still won 11 and will start the new season as favourite again.

The Briton, awarded a knighthood after his seventh championship and with plenty of outside interests in fashion and music, said it depended on whether he still had "that smile" when he put his helmet on and drove out of the garage.

"It's going back to 'do you enjoy it?' Last year was a really tough year for everyone, including me. But I think there were some really impactful moments," he said.

"Will it still be the case this year? we'll see. Will I enjoy it as much? We'll see."

"I'm kind of in the fortunate position where I've achieved most of the stuff that I have wanted to achieve up until this point," he said at the factory launch with Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas.

"So there's no real need necessarily to plan too far ahead.

"I think we're living in quite an unusual period of time and life and I just wanted one year. Then we can talk about if we do more and keep adding it one if we have to."

The W12 car retains the black livery introduced last year to reinforce the team's commitment to improving diversity, with elements of silver, burgundy and green.

Hamilton, the sport's only Black driver and most successful of all time, took a knee before every race last year and used his platform to speak out on issues of racial justice.

He also set up a commission to help increase the representation of Black people in British motorsport and he and Mercedes have announced a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport.

Hamilton said the previous priority was always "about just winning championships" but that had changed.

"Last year there was a lot of discussion about equality and inclusion and I think there was a lot of talk," he said.

"This year it's all about pushing for diversity and really making sure that action is taken. So that's kind of at the core of the drive for me.

"But of course we exist to win so that's what all these guys and girls here are working towards and so my goal is to deliver that for them."

Team boss Toto Wolff said there was no complacency at a team who have won the last seven drivers' and constructors' championships.

"We can't take any comfort from our good results in 2020. Every winter, there are always indications that someone else might have done a better job, so we must keep pushing," said the Austrian.

"I enjoy this time of year as we drive into the unknown".

The season starts in Bahrain on March 28.

- Reuters