Former F1 racer believes NASCAR might appeal for Lewis Hamilton American adventure

Might Lewis Hamilton eventually ditch F1 to race in America? One driver who made the switch believes the seven-time World Champion could be tempted…

While Lewis Hamilton remains under contract with Mercedes for 2023, and all the signs are there for an extension of his stay with the Brackley-based squad, the 38-year-old is much closer to the end of his Formula 1 career than he is the start of it.

Hamilton is well-known for having various interests away from racing, with a keen eye for fashion in his spare time as well as dabbling in music production.

But, once he takes the chequered flag in Formula 1 for the final time, might the British driver be tempted to make a move to America to race in a lower-pressure environment?

Such a move might appeal to Hamilton, believes one driver who made a similar switch when his own Formula 1 career came to an end.

In the first half of the 1990s, Mark Blundell raced with Brabham, Ligier, Tyrrell, and McLaren in F1, as well as a Le Mans victory with Peugeot in 1992. But, by 1995, his F1 career was stuttering and, faced with no seat for 1996, made the move to America to join the CART World Series with PacWest Racing.

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Blundell would win three races in CART over the following five years, before making the switch to sportscar racing and the beginning of his broadcasting career with ITV, and reckons Hamilton could be tempted to commit to living and racing in the United States once his time in F1 comes to an end.

“My gut tells me that we’re probably going to see Lewis Hamilton racing in America in the not-too-distant future!” Blundell told PlanetF1.com in an exclusive interview where he spoke at length about the seven-time World Champion’s chances of claiming a further world title in 2023.

Hamilton already owns properties in New York, Colorado, and Los Angeles, and is well-known for his love of the United States – Blundell suspects his enjoyment of the culture and his “comfort” with being Stateside could appeal to him.

“I just feel that there will be a level of excitement and challenge and comfort for him to go over there and do something,” he said.

But, surprisingly, Blundell reckons it won’t be single-seater racing like IndyCar that will catch Hamilton’s attention.

“I’m not sure whether he’d do IndyCar, maybe something like NASCAR might be an appeal to him!” Blundell remarked.

“Taking on a whole new challenge and seeing whether that can be delivered on.

“I think that’s going to be the next stage of his life, in terms of what the personal challenge is going to be. Maybe that challenge won’t be in Formula 1, because it might not be that he’s got the kit to do it.

“So yeah, I don’t know… I’m just throwing it out there, I just get the sense that he’s going to get to a stage in the not-too-distant future where he needs a new challenge for sure.”