Hamilton ready to extend F1 career after 300th race

Lewis Hamilton claimed his best result of the season at Sunday's French Grand Prix – and then said he is ready to extend his Formula One career.

In his 300th race, Hamilton started fourth and finished second, blasting past Red Bull's Sergio Perez off the line and then gaining another place after Charles Leclerc crashed out from the lead.

Max Verstappen triumphed for a seventh time this year to move 63 points clear in the championship race.

Hamilton finished 10 seconds adrift of the Dutchman - and is now 106 points off the title pace – but he was belated and exhausted in equal measure when the chequered flag dropped in the searing 33 degree heat.

It has been a troubling period for Hamilton in the seven months since his controversial loss at last December's title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - a defeat so sour that there was serious debate whether he would return this year.

But with 18 months to run on his £40million-a-year Mercedes deal, Hamilton's boss Toto Wolff said his driver could commit to at least another century of grands prix.

"That is a lot of races," said Hamilton, 37. "Firstly, I want to be grateful to get to this point.

"But I still feel fresh, and I still feel as though I have got plenty of fuel left in the tank.

"I am enjoying what I am doing and I am proud of arriving every day and working with this incredible group of people. I am enjoying working with the sport more than ever.

"I want to get back to winning ways and that is going to take time, but I am sure we will sit down at some stage and talk about the future.

"I want to keep building. One thing is having the races, but another is to continue doing more outside of the sport, which I think Mercedes and us can, and will do."

Hamilton took a blasé approach to his