Lewis Hamilton has no plans to retire anytime soon after claiming he is still "deeply in love" with the sport of F1.
Much of the build-up to the 2022 campaign was dominated by the potential retirement of the Mercedes man, following the controversial finish to December's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that cost him the 2021 title. Amid the furore that followed, Hamilton embarked on a vow of silence, only confirming in February he would take his place on the grid again this season.
But a torrid start again fuelled rumours he was set to walk away, with the seven-time world champion enduring the humiliation of being eliminated in Q1 in Saudi Arabia. He was also lapped by rival Max Verstappen in Emilia Romagna.
However, having been plagued by the issue of porpoising, the F1 icon had found form prior to the four week mid-season break, nothing five consecutive podium finishes. Having been second last time out in Hungary, he currently lies sixth in the drivers' standings, on 146 points ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.
Despite being in the back yard of world champion Verstappen, it's a race where Hamilton will be targeting a first win of 2022. The star seemed in a good place during his time off, heading to Africa for a trip he said left him "not the same man" afterwards.
And he's now vowed to keep fighting to improve with the Silver Arrows, with walking away not currently an option under consideration: "There's still plenty to achieve here, personally," he said, via The Sun.
"Maybe not that many records, but still a lot of ground to cover with the team. I am still deeply in love with the sport. And I particularly like the direction and the things that we're doing within it."
Toto Wolff's team have been handed a major boost for 2023, with the FIA agreeing to address the issues that have caused a number of teams instability on the tracks this season. The straight-line speed of Mercedes, and Hamilton in particular, has been notably down.
His current winless run represents the longest of his 16-year F1 career. The 37-year-old is also in danger of losing his run of a Grand Prix win in every season since his sensational debut campaign in 2007.
But having been previously told by Wolff he had been handed an "un-drivable" car for 22, Hamilton is now upbeat about the upward trajectory of his team: "We've been improving," he added.
"We've had this consistency of the recent races and great progress that the team is making, everyone pulling together and continuing to push. The car is becoming more of a racing car, which is not particularly what it was at the start of the year!"
Whether Hamilton and co have the chance to return to Spa at the end of this year remains to be seen. The venue's contract with F1 expires at the end of this year, with no confirmation from either side of a new deal being in place.
