Title or no title, Lewis Hamilton says he intends to be on the grid again in 2022, indeed, that is why he took part in the recent 18" tyre test for Pirelli.

Straight from the horse's mouth... Lewis Hamilton today told reporters at Portimao that he will be on the grid next season.

Indeed, the seven time champ, who makes no secret of his aversion to testing, admits that this was the thinking behind his recent participation in a day running the prototype 18" tyres for Pirelli.

"I don't ever volunteer for test days, and it's probably one of the first ones I have volunteered for," admitted the Briton, "so I immediately regretted it when I woke up in the morning on the day.

"I was like, ‘dammit!'," he laughed. "But no, honestly, firstly it was at a really great track to test at, so I enjoyed the day and the weather was good. And I plan to be here next year and I want to help Pirelli and help lead towards them having a better product.

"It's something that the drivers all have wished for," he continued, "better performance... and so it was important for me to gauge where the starting point is and what differences I can help with.

"From a driver point of view we have more mechanical grip, less degradation," he added. "So I think it was a good test and obviously it was the first step with the tyres but it definitely wasn't a bad place to start."

Check out our Thursday gallery from Portimao, here.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by SexyLadyRacer, 30/04/2021 9:42

"Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari would be Hamilton's first choice if they had a competitive car and willing to ditch Carlos Sainz, but Red Bull would do as they do have the fastest and most dominant car so far this season, and have a seat available for 2022 too!

However, it would be extremely difficult for Hamilton to throw away all his history and legacy at Mercedes after so many years to only race for another team for just a few years!

So definitely, I can now safely predict that Lewis Hamilton will most likely stay at Mercedes next season and his team mate will most likely be George Russell, who is surely be soundly beaten both in Qualifying and Races, but it won't be easy, which suits Hamilton just fine! "

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2. Posted by SexyLadyRacer, 30/04/2021 2:15

"This is excellent news, thank you so much!
Sir Lewis Hamilton continuing to race in F1 is the best new ever for F1 and all his fans throughout the world, and for all genuine racing fans in general!

On the other side, this must be the worst news ever for all those people who dislike Lewis Hamilton, probably since the first day he had arrived in F1 in 2007, and let's face it, just because Hamilton is the only . driver on the grid, and then to see him achieve so much inside and outside F1: 7 time F1 World Titles, and broken all Schumacher's records, and got Knighted by the Queen too!
I TOLD YOU SO! I told you all that Hamilton would stay for at least another year in F1, and possibly two or three more years if the new regulations would make racing more exciting, because Hamilton is a true racer and competitor! He doesn't cheat or deliberately and unfairly try and push another driver off the track, like Max Verstappen still do, as shown in Imola turn 1 against Hamilton 2021 and in Portimao turn 2 against Perez 2020!

Max Verstappen in the Red Bull has the fastest and most dominant car on the grid this season, but I am quite confident that Lewis Hamilton will ultimately be the world champion at the end of this long season!
Quite definitely, without question, Lewis Hamilton would beat Verstappen in the same machinery, and who knows, maybe Hamilton could be in the Red Bull team for 2022!

Fortunately, there's not a lot these negative and very sad people can do but wait a few more years before Hamilton retires, having waited over 15 years already, and being extremely annoyed by his achievements so far, but without question, enjoyed the small moments when something bsd happens, like when Hamilton slid off at Imola, but then to came back strongly into finish in P2!
There's really nothing these negative sad people can say except repeating the usual rubbish that Hamilton is somehow still in the best and most dominant car, and somehow that Hamilton is 'protected' in the Mercedes team and Toto Wolff, and continue to disseminate other fake news! Of course, these assertions are totally crazy and ridiculous for anyone to take seriously!
"

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3. Posted by ChickenFarmerF1, 29/04/2021 19:37

"@Fambank - I would thought the same about Kimi, yet he's still there, lucky to pick up a point here and there with no realistic hope of a podium, let alone another WDC. I think as long as Lewis is enjoying racing he'll stay. He's not driven (any longer I think) by records. Or at least they're not his prime motivator. Same with money. He's achieved enough to be in the top 5-10 drivers probably for as long F1 remains in existence. More outright records (e.g. 6 WDC in a row, 8+ total WDC, etc) won't really elevate him any higher. "

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4. Posted by Fambank, 29/04/2021 18:15

"I think he will be in F1 as long as he has a competitive car in which he can fight
for the championship with Verstappen. I truly believe that this incoming fight is
something Hamilton longs for, to prove it just wasn´t ¨always the better car¨.
If he stops having a competitive car, I see him retiring. When that will be, is in
the stars."

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Hamilton: I plan to be here next year

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