Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton's latest update on his retirement plans has set tongues wagging ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has surprised Formula 1 fans after providing a fresh update on when he plans to retire from the sport. The Ferrari ace is currently preparing for Sunday's United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Hamilton, 41, sits third in the current F1 drivers' standings and finally ended his winless streak with a Ferrari victory in Barcelona earlier this year. However, there's one very specific factor affecting his outlook on retirement at present.

Meanwhile, Red Bull rival Max Verstappen is ratcheting up the pressure on F1 to make a massive change amid health concerns. Mirror F1 covers all the latest headlines around the sport as Verstappen targets a third straight race win in Austin.

Hamilton retirement decision

Amid the constant questioning over when Hamilton will finally hang up his gloves, fans may be pleased with the latest development. That's after the British icon suggested he'll stick around to participate in F1's return to Africa, which is slated for some time in the early 2030s.

Rwanda has signed a 10-year agreement to host an annual Grand Prix from that point, marking F1's return to the continent after being absent since 1993. And although Hamilton will turn 45 at the earliest possible host date in 2030, he said he may be "forced" to stay on in an attempt to experience it for himself.

Hamilton was discussing the prospect of racing against Mercedes replacement Kimi Antonelli in the longer term. And the veteran hinted that rivarly could persist for years to come if he wants to feature in an Africa-based GP.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix, he said: "I'm looking forward to racing with him longer and we'll see about... I mean, I'm now forced to have to stay a lot longer because we have a race in Africa and that's been my dream, to be able to race in Africa."

When Antonelli told his Ferrari adversary he's "got to come," Hamilton replied: "Yeah, I mean, I have to keep fighting to try and stay fit if I can, if I can still punch out good results over the next year, we'll keep it going."

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Racing for one more year and keeping his career alive until 2030 are two very different things. However, Hamilton has a very personal interest in getting to experience F1 back in Africa after pulling strings behind the scenes to make that dream a reality.

He continued: "I've been advocating for a race in Africa for many, many, many years, and countless meetings with the stakeholders. So many meetings with [F1 chief executive] Stefano [Domenicali] at his office in London, but also race weekends, countless calls.

"'What's happening? Where are we going? Who are you meeting with?' Many meetings with different presidents from different countries, lots of phone calls with different presidents from different countries within Africa.

"I think for me, it's a place that deserves to have a Grand Prix. It's more than just about one country: it's about the continent in itself. There's so many beautiful countries within it and the people are so lovely. The culture is so rich, and I think it's important that we get to show that to the world, and we get to do that with our sport."

Verstappen issues demands

Verstappen has piled the pressure on F1 to prioritise its drivers, demanding the Circuit of the Americas is fully relayed due to concerns over drivers suffering long-term spinal damage. COTA is widely adored by most drivers but the lumpy track in Texas continues to throw up issues for drivers, with Verstappen being the most vocal among them.

"I love this track, I love this place. It's one of the best layouts ever and it's one of the best venues, best cities to be at. But for me, the bumps that we have are unacceptable," the Dutchman told reporters on media day in Texas.

"Last year, you pulled around 5-6G in a corner, but I had some impacts like vertical load, which was like over 9G on my spine, which I can tell you is really not fun. And especially the older you get you think about that more and more. I can tell you from the checks that I've done from my spine, the bottom end doesn't look that great.

"I know that's part of racing, that can be part of sport, but it's also further damage from the cars that we had the last few years, and now if we continue finding this acceptable to drive on you are going to suffer with that much more.

"And people can say there are worse sports out there for damage to parts of your body, for sure, but that's why I'm not doing them."

Efforts have been made over the years to resolve what's been a longstanding issue, such as a major resurfacing in 2022. However, Verstappen pointed to the recent World Endurance Championship, which took place at the Circuit of the Americas last month, as evidence the track is still "extremely badly bumpy."

"You can use the excuse that the soil is the problem, but then you should have known that and you need to make sure that you reinforce it more," he continued. "Over time they've been grinding a little bit here and there, but you're just putting a plaster on the big problem.

"That's just what's coming underneath. That's what you need to actually tackle in the first place. But that means you need to really fully open up the track. That costs a lot of money and time but, honestly, that's the only way to get rid of it because these bumps are not natural and they are out of control."