Lewis Hamilton has distanced himself from talk of retirement from Formula One at the end of the season by claiming that he has 'five, six years' left in racing.

The Briton had earlier in the season stated that he could call time on his career at the end of the current campaign depending on his state of mind during the winter and is confident that he can do so without tainting his legacy.

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The three-time world champion, however, made it clear that he does not want to be a commentator or manager once he hangs up his helmet and wants to focus on more creative things like working with fashion designers and other artists. Hamilton is a regular at fashion shows when he is not at the races, and is keen to continue to explore other options outside of F1.

"I've got five, six years left of my career in racing, and after that I want to avoid becoming a commentator or a manager," Hamilton told Serena Williams during an exclusive chat for Interview Magazine.

"I like creating with people, so having my own line is hard to imagine. But doing capsule collections with different artists, I can imagine that. I think that would be kind of neat. I'm designing a new motorcycle right now. I did a limited-edition one last year. I'm just going to continue to explore. And I guess it will come to me, what I'll do beyond my sport," the former McLaren driver added about his potential plans after a career in F1.

Hamilton is currently embroiled in a tight battle for the 2017 drivers' championship with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and a victory at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix will see him lead the championship for the first time this season.

Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton not thinking of retirement as he closes in on championship leader Vettel Getty