‘Get used to it’: Hamilton here to stay in F1, Verstappen happy with rule changes

MONTREAL — Lewis Hamilton says he’s not going anywhere. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, sounds increasingly likely to stay.

The pair of former world champions fielded questions Thursday about whether they could step away from Formula One after this season — with Hamilton firing back at rumours and suggestions he should retire.

“I’m going to be here for quite some time, so get used to it,” the 41-year-old Ferrari driver said. “There’s a lot of people that are trying to retire me, and that’s not even on my thoughts.”

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, made the blockbuster move to Ferrari last season after 12 years with Mercedes, but only earned his first podium with the iconic Italian outfit this past March in China.

The record-holder with 105 race wins — the last coming with Mercedes in 2024 — sits fifth in the drivers’ championship, eight points behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who has consistently outperformed Hamilton, through four races in a stop-and-start season.

“I’m still (under) contract, so everything’s 100 per cent clear to me,” Hamilton, seated on a white sofa, told a room of reporters during a press conference at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. “I’m still focused, I’m still motivated, I still love what I do with all my heart.”

“I feel like we’re in a really good place. I’m in a good place with my team,” he added. “There’s always going to be teething issues and stuff that you always have to work on. But yeah, I’m really happy.”

As for Verstappen, the Red Bull driver said potential rule changes on the horizon have increased the odds he’ll still be on the F1 grid in 2027.

The 28-year-old had suggested this year could be his last after blasting this season’s controversial F1 regulations that increased the cars’ reliance on electrical power over combustion, joking in March that he was “practising with Mario Kart.”

Earlier this month, F1 agreed in principle to shift to a 60-40 split between combustion and electrical power next season instead of the current 50-50 balance.

“It’s definitely heading into a very positive direction, I think it’s like the minimum I was hoping for, and I think it’s really nice that that’s what they want to do,” he said inside Red Bull’s team hospitality suite. “That’s definitely what I think also the sport needs.

“I just want a good product in Formula One, and that will for sure improve the product.”

Verstappen won four straight world titles from 2021 through 2024 before losing last season’s championships to McLaren’s Lando Norris by two points.

This year, the Dutchman sits seventh in the standings with one top-five finish — but he insisted that has nothing to do with his complaints.

“I’ve always said it doesn’t matter if I had a good car or not, it’s just the product, and I think the product will improve like that,” he said. “So naturally I think then the enjoyment will go up as well.”

Does that mean he’s committed to returning next year? Verstappen stopped short of a definitive answer.

“Yes or no, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’m happy where I’m at. I see the team really progressing, and that’s also very exciting to see. And for me I always wanted to continue anyway, but I always wanted to see change, and I think the change that’s coming now is definitely very positive, or at least I would say almost back to normal, so that’s good.”

The Canadian Grand Prix is just the fifth of 22 stops this season after Formula One cancelled April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the war in Iran.

Scheduled weeks earlier than its traditional mid-June slot, the Montreal race also kicks off a stretch of seven race weekends in 10 weeks after a slow start to the season.

For the first time, the event coincides with a Montreal Canadiens playoff run, with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes set for later Thursday in Raleigh, N.C. The hockey craze even reached the paddock, where each driver received a Canadiens jersey with their names on the back.

Mercedes has won all four races so far. Kimi Antonelli is the championship leader with 100 points — 20 clear of second-place teammate George Russell — after winning the last three races. Leclerc sits third with 59 for Ferrari, followed by Norris and Hamilton.

The drivers will hit the track Friday after for a free practice session and the sprint race qualifying. The sprint race follows Saturday before qualifying, which determines where drivers start for Sunday’s 70-lap race.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press