LEWIS HAMILTON has hinted at retirement from Formula 1 as he says there are "other things" he wants to do with his life.
The seven-times world champion is currently enjoying time away from the track before returning next month for pre-season testing.
He has seen it all and done it all during his 15 years at the top level of motorsport.
And despite previously signalling a desire to march on with Mercedes, Hamilton has made clear he does not always feel that way.
He told German newspaper Bild: "Sometimes you wake up and have this feeling: I don't want to do this anymore.
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"And sometimes you wake up and think: I can still do other things my whole life, there is definitely more I want to achieve."
He added: "It won't be a terribly long time now, but I'll definitely be staying."
Despite admitting considering retirement, Hamilton has also previously signalled a willingness to consider staying at Mercedes over the long-term.
Team boss Toto Wolff said in October: “We speak a lot together.
“Last week we sat down and he says, ‘Look, I have another five years in me how do you see that?’ Over time we have just grown together.
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“We are totally transparent with each other."
Mercedes were tipped to offer Hamilton, who turns 38 on Saturday, an extension on his current contract which runs to the end of this year during the off-season.
The experienced driver has many interests outside of F1.
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He has previously shown a passion for fashion, music, travelling and tackling inequalities both in and out of sport.
Hamilton is preparing to enter his 17th season in F1 after a couple of tough years on the track.
After the gut-wrenching end to the 2021 season, the star endured his first winless season ever last year while his teammate George Russell managed to claim victory in Brazil.
