{"id":54714,"date":"2025-08-09T05:51:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T05:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/54714\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T05:51:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T05:51:07","slug":"lewis-hamilton-makes-huge-f1-contract-request-with-wishlist-set-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/54714\/","title":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton makes huge F1 contract request with wishlist set out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Even though the move to Ferrari hasn\u2019t panned out as hoped, Lewis Hamilton is the most successful Formula 1 driver still active in the sport \u2014 and he\u2019s hoping to use his influence to transform the world of motorsport contracts.<\/p>\n<p>In the same way that drivers of a previous era championed safety, Hamilton has expressed a desire to lead the charge in improving the contract terms of drivers and other Formula 1 crew members.<\/p>\n<p>Lewis Hamilton advocates for F1 contract transformation<\/p>\n<p>Ask Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton what needs to change in the world of Formula 1, and he\u2019ll have plenty of suggestions.<\/p>\n<p>The seven-time World Champion kicked off the F1 2025 season with a move to Scuderia Ferrari after over a decade spent at Mercedes as part of a greater move to bolster the fortunes of an already-successful career.<\/p>\n<p>While the results have yet to manifest on track, Hamilton has remained a regular presence in the world of activism \u2014 and that\u2019s where he believes his greatest impact will come from.<\/p>\n<p>More analysis from the F1 2025 season:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetf1.com\/features\/winners-and-losers-from-the-f1-2025-season-so-far\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The winners and losers from the F1 2025 season \u2014 so far<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetf1.com\/features\/ranking-all-the-new-signings-of-f1-2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ranked: All the F1 driver moves made for the F1 2025 season<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In an interview with Belgian publication RTBF during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Lewis Hamilton was asked about the legacy he\u2019d like to leave behind when he finally retires from Formula 1 \u2014 but the seven-time World Champion denied that that\u2019s on his mind.<\/p>\n<p>He stated that his legacy is \u201cnot what I focus on,\u201d noting that when he was younger he certainly hoped to be remembered as one of the best F1 drivers in the world. But \u201ctoday, I think differently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Hamilton, \u201cThere have been so many great drivers; every era has always had its No. 1, so it matters less to me today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I focus on is what I can contribute concretely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the Briton pointed out his activism and the various charities he contributes to or has founded, he also shared that one of the spheres he\u2019s looking to transform is Formula 1 itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also think that the F1 system needs to evolve,\u201d Hamilton explained to RTBF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDrivers are bound by contracts that prevent them from talking to other teams. They can\u2019t even talk to other teams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cF1 has grown enormously, with revenues skyrocketing from \u00a3700 million to over \u00a33 billion. This growth is not reflected in all employees\u2019 salaries, which have not kept pace with the business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s not just the finances that Hamilton is considering \u2014 it\u2019s Formula 1\u2019s impact on the world at large.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is still a significant lack of diversity in the paddock,\u201d he explained, \u201cand many things still need to change in our sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the past, drivers like Niki Lauda pushed for greater safety. Today, we need to create more access and more opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we visit all these countries, we must avoid leaving a mess behind. There should be upcycling and a proper recycling system. Every weekend, food is wasted. Meanwhile, people are dying of hunger. We can work with food banks to redistribute it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are so many positive things we can do here. Not everything has been done yet, and that\u2019s normal. It\u2019s not about being perfect, but about making progress every year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s my role; I can get into the right rooms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes people tell me, \u2018Shut up and drive.\u2019 But that\u2019s not me. I drive, yes, but I also do more. I can meet with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom or even a president if necessary. I can enter important rooms and have difficult conversations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s just how I am, and that\u2019s how I\u2019ll continue to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read next:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetf1.com\/features\/five-silly-season-storylines-f1-summer-break\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The silly season storylines to watch out for in F1\u2019s summer break<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even though the move to Ferrari hasn\u2019t panned out as hoped, Lewis Hamilton is the most successful Formula&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,826,813,816,818,823,44,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-54714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-ferrari","12":"tag-formula-1","13":"tag-formula1","14":"tag-home-page","15":"tag-lewis-hamilton","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}