Lando Norris has declared there is “no chance” he will follow Lewis Hamilton’s example by racing into his 40s – revealing he will instead step away from Formula One eventually to start a family. The 26-year-old world champion, who is gearing up for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, is currently in his eighth season competing at the highest level.

Hamilton made his debut in 2007 and later this year will become only the second driver behind Fernando Alonso to take part in 400 Formula One races. Hamilton, who has a contract with Ferrari for at least another campaign beyond this one, shows no indication of retiring as he pursues a record eighth title.

Yet when questioned whether he could imagine competing at Hamilton’s age, Norris responded: “No chance. Maybe I am wrong. But I want kids and I want out of here.

“I hope that my kids would be in Formula One, so maybe I’ll still be around (in the future), and I will always love racing. But at the same time, I enjoy a lot of things outside Formula One and life is not very long.

“It is not like I am leaving here anytime soon. I still have a long contract, and I want to achieve a lot more in Formula One, but just not to the level of 40 years old. I don’t want to spend half my life driving cars. I want to go and live my life doing other things.”

Norris’ chances of defending his world title look increasingly slim, with Mercedes boasting the strongest package on the grid. The Englishman already finds himself 73 points adrift of championship leader Kimi Antonelli after just five rounds.

He also suffered a breakdown during second practice on Friday, having completed a mere seven laps.

However, Mercedes’ winning run could be brought to a halt in Monte Carlo, with Ferrari widely expected to perform strongly in the principality, handing Hamilton a genuine opportunity to claim his maiden victory for the Italian outfit.

Norris continued: “For sure, it would be nice to see Lewis win. He is one of the best of all time. And you never want to see someone struggling like he has done.

“When you know what he is capable of, it is always nice to see things click and he looks happier. I grew up watching him and always wanted him to do well, and for me it is still the same now.

“He had a good weekend in Canada (Hamilton finished second). But one good weekend doesn’t prove anything. You need five, six, seven eight races to go well so let’s wait and see.”