‘Love to try it’ – Lewis Hamilton sets sights on ‘old-school’ NASCAR drive after car swap

Lewis Hamilton is enjoying a new lease of life at Ferrari but has already laid out his future career plans for when he leaves Formula 1.

The seven-time world champion has followed former F1 rival Kimi Raikkonen to Maranello and now could emulate his US racing stint.

The Brit underlined his status as the most popular figure in motorsport with his record-breaking first week as a Ferrari driver.

Hamilton's crossover ability, coupled with the rise of Netflix sensation Drive to Survive, helped F1 finally crack the American market.

There are now three Stateside Grand Prix but NASCAR remains the most viewed racing series in the USA.

In addition to Raikkonen, Hamilton has also seen his former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button debut in stock car racing.

The two ex-F1 champions both competed in the Cup race at the Circuit of the Americas in 2023, with Brit Button placing 18th, 11 spots ahead of Raikkonen.

However, Hamilton has previously insisted he won't do the same until he's finished his F1 career.

“I did a car swap with Tony Stewart years ago, which was fun,” Hamilton said ahead of the 2023 Miami Grand Prix.

“I’d love to try it at some stage. It’s not a dream for me to go race another series, but I am an admirer.

“I’m a fan of racing and other sports. So I would like to try it.”

In 2011, during his McLaren days, Hamilton was given the keys by American hero Stewart - a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Hamilton completed five laps in a Stewart-Haas Cup car at Watkins Glen, with 'Smoke' also testing the McLaren Mercedes MP4-23.

“That was fun, man!” Hamilton radioed at the end of his tenure in the NASCAR vehicle.

“I just feel like a kid today,” he later added. “Whilst driving a Formula One car is very fun, the competitive side of it is so serious. … I was also feeling the tough weekend this morning, but as the excitement built up, and when I got in the car, and once I got out, I completely forgot about last weekend.”

“I don’t want to wreck any racecar, much less somebody else’s car,” Stewart said.

“As a competitor, you want to go out and find the limit, but at the same time, you realize that, if you make a mistake, the penalty for that mistake is probably going to be pretty large here.

“So you may back it off a little bit just to enjoy the experience more.”

Hamilton has publicly revealed previously that it's not just NASCAR that would interest him once he waves goodbye to F1.

“I’d love to swap with Valentino Rossi and try Moto GP,” he continued in 2023, having since also been linked with helping buy a team.

“I sometimes watch IndyCar and would love to try one of those at some stage.

"I’m not a big fan of the big screen that they have, but like the old-school cars they have, the cars sound and look good.

”But right now, my focus is solely on Formula 1. So, I don't plan on leaving here anytime soon."

That focus has since been reaffirmed by Hamilton's childlike delight at being officially unveiled by Ferrari this week.

Taking to their Fiorano test track on Wednesday, Hamilton drove their 2023 F1 car, describing it as 'one of the best feelings of my life'.