Lewis Hamilton believes he can race until he is 40 after rejecting his own suggestion that he could stun Formula One by retiring at the end of the season.

In an interview in the run-up to Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Hamilton hinted that he may turn his back on motor racing, and follow his long-term rival Nico Rosberg into retirement.

Hamilton, 32, has ambitions of developing a music career. He also revealed his bucket list here in which he hopes to scale Mount Everest, become a better chef, and learn another language. But it appears as though the French lessons will have to wait. As is so often the way with Hamilton, who arrived in Azerbaijan 12 points adrift of Sebastian Vettel, he walked into the Mercedes motorhome with his face buried in his smartphone.

But the Briton, this year chasing a fourth world title, which would elevate him ahead of his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna and into the pantheon of the sport’s all-time greats, came alive as he spoke of hunting down Juan Manuel Fangio’s haul of five championships, and perhaps even Michael Schumacher’s record of seven. The big ‘R’ appeared a long way away.

“I could easily do another three-year contract if I wanted to, and I reckon I could go on for another one after that,” said Hamilton, whose £30 million-a-year deal with Mercedes expires next season.