Lewis Hamilton has revealed his plans after retiring from Formula 1 following talks with Michael Jordan and Serena Williams.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has looked up to sports legends such as Michael Jordan and Serena Williams for retirement advice in order to determine what to do after he walks away from Formula 1.
Hamilton, 39, is the second-oldest driver on the grid after Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, 42, and does not plan to give up on his racing career just yet. Upon turning forty years old, he has already committed to continuing as a Ferrari Formula 1 driver for beginning next season.
However, Hamilton has long understood that he must get ready for life after F1. He told GQ that he had the realization following discussions with other prominent personalities in the sporting world including NBA star Michael Jordan, Boris Becker and Serena Williams.
“I’d spoken to so many amazing athletes, from Boris Becker to Serena Williams, even Michael Jordan,” he said. “Talking to greats that I’ve met along the way, who are retired – or some that are still in competition – and the fear of what’s next, the lack of preparation for what’s next.
“A lot of them said, ‘I stopped too early’, or, ‘Stayed too long. When it ended, I didn’t have anything planned. My whole world came crashing down because my whole life has been about that sport.’
“Some of them were like, ‘I didn’t plan and it was a bit of a mess-up because I was really lost afterwards. There was such a hole. Such a void.
“And I had no idea how I was going to fill it. And I was in such a rush initially to try and fill it that you fill it with the wrong thing. And you make a few mistakes. And then eventually you find your way’.
“Some people took longer. Some people took shorter. But it just got my mind thinking about, ‘Okay, when I stop, how do I avoid that?’ And so I got serious about finding other things that I was passionate about.”
Outside of Formula One, Hamilton is still quite active, pursuing projects like fashion and promoting diversity in the motorsport industry.
After seven titles and years of dominance in F1, Hamilton feels he has conquered the sport. He acknowledges that he won’t be able to devote the same amount of time to other projects but believes he has at least decided on what his life’s purpose will be when he retires from racing.
“I think it’s gonna be film and fashion,” he said.
Although he has already made headway in both of those fields, winning one more F1 championship before he retires is still his main goal. The British driver claimed that he had never started a season with as much excitement for the next as he did this year and that he was prepared to sport Ferrari’s red.
“I’m training harder than I’ve ever trained,” he added. “I feel the most physically prepared I’ve ever been.
“So I’m really excited about the present, knowing that nothing is promised beyond that. But then it’s also conceptualizing, I have all these ideas of things I want to do beyond, in the next phase.”
Hamilton has endured a challenging start to 2024, but he is still motivated to succeed in F1 as he attempts to shatter the record for the most driver titles with an eighth title.
