Mercedes told to keep Lewis Hamilton 'until he's 80' after F1 star signs new contract
Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton signed a new contract with the Silver Arrows on Thursday
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Fernando Alonso believes Mercedes should keep Lewis Hamilton 'until he's 80 years old' after the Brit signed a new contract with the Silver Arrows.
The 38-year-old has extended his contract by another two years, with the veteran set to continue racing in F1 into his 40s.
Alonso, at the age of 42, has already shown that age is no factor when it comes to performance on the grid.
The Aston Martin star has secured seven podiums so far this season and, now, he's praised Hamilton and insisted he's somebody worth keeping for many years to come.
Fernando Alonso has lavished praise on F1 star Lewis Hamilton
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When asked whether age should be a factor when it comes to a team principal keeping a driver, the Spaniard said: “No, I think they choose time, as has always been [the case] in motorsport.
“I have never seen any rally, Moto GP or F1 team choose the slowest between two drivers.
"If I were a team boss now and I had to choose Hamilton or the youngest on the grid or a promising F2 driver, I’d stay with Hamilton until he’s 80 years old, until someone shows me that he’s faster than Hamilton.
“In the case of Hamilton, who continues to perform at 100 per cent and his only life concern is F1, as can be the case for me too, ‘when someone faster comes, we’ll talk’ but at the moment Hamilton is faster than anyone.”
Alonso and Hamilton had a tense relationship when they were team-mates at McLaren.
But their relationship has improved in the years since and the 42-year-old's comments speak volumes.
Alonso is currently ahead of Hamilton in the F1 driver standings, with the Aston Martin star sitting in third.
He has a 12-point lead over Hamilton, who sits fourth.
Alonso was speaking ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with both men winning that race in the past.
Hamilton has won a record five times, the same amount as Ferrari icon Michael Schumacher.
And Alonso has won twice, though his last triumph came all the way back in 2010.
Speaking after penning his fresh deal, meanwhile, Hamilton insisted Mercedes had 'never been hungrier' to win and said their story 'wasn't finished'.
"We have never been hungrier to win," stated the 38-year-old, who joined the Silver Arrows all the way back in 2013.
"We have learnt from every success but also every setback.
"We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again.
"I’m grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track.
"Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do."
And Hamilton also hailed the way his Mercedes career has panned out so far, having secured 82 victories since joining the team a decade ago.
"We dream every day of being the best and we have dedicated the past decade together to achieving that goal," added the Brit.
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Lewis Hamilton has been with Mercedes ever since joining in 2013
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"Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time, it takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it’s been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team."