Hamilton: F1 remains my greatest passion

Lewis Hamilton has brushed aside talk that his troubled first campaign with Ferrari could drive him into an early retirement.

In a candid conversation with L’Equipe, away from the usual grand prix weekend media duties, the seven-time champion made clear that he has no plans to walk away.

"My priorities stem from my love for Formula 1," the 40-year-old explained. "The love of my life is Formula 1. I love this job more than almost anything."

Confronted with rumours about a looming exit, Hamilton replied with humour: "I have no intention of leaving anytime soon, and I'm very happy that Fernando (Alonso) is staying too, because it means he's older than me. Yes, I'm going to stay until he turns 50."

Hamilton reflected proudly on the calibre of rivals he has faced and beaten during his career. "I admire every one of these competitors," he said.

"I put myself in their shoes - they've made enormous sacrifices. In the end, someone wins and someone loses. I know the pain they must have felt after those defeats. I'm aware of that. I have empathy for them in that sense and enormous respect."

The Briton acknowledged he isn’t especially close to Fernando Alonso, but described Sebastian Vettel as a long-standing ally. "I don't talk much to Fernando. Seb, on the other hand, has been a great support. He's been truly incredible, a very good friend over the years," he revealed.

Hamilton admitted that at the height of his recent Ferrari struggles - when he publicly branded himself "useless" - he contemplated leaning on Vettel for advice.

"I was planning on speaking to Seb during that break, and I think I'll do so soon. I haven't called him this year because I don't use the phone much. I didn't want to upset him, and I didn't want to speak to him before so as not to have any preconceived ideas. With six or eight months of experience, I know the situation well, so I'll probably speak to him soon."

Discussing the personal sacrifices required to remain competitive, Hamilton drew comparisons with other elite athletes. "I'm always impressed by Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and other greats like Tom Brady, who have families and continue to perform. For me, it just hasn't happened," he admitted.

"My niece and my family will always be the priority, but I don't like to do things halfway, I wouldn't give 100%. I'm not saying that others aren't doing that, but I have to be tenacious, train, be super diligent, get involved.

"I don't want to have to choose - either the racing suffers so the family can succeed, or the family suffers so the racing can succeed. For now, I don't have to choose, and I'm happy to focus on just one thing. And, even if I sacrifice everything for it, it's still very difficult to be successful."