Lewis Hamilton discussed the possibility of retiring within five years with former Formula One world champion Jenson Button at Silverstone this past weekend.

Hamilton currently stands second in the F1 driver rankings trailing behind Ferrari and German racer Sebastian Vettel who leads the way.

The Mercedes driver topped the rankings before the July 1 Austrian GP with wins in Azerbaijan, Spain and France, however, after the Brit failed to finish the race in Spielberg, he has played catch up ever since.

Hamilton has been plagued with misfortune this season from technical difficulties to miscommunication, but that has not stopped Mercedes boss Toto Wolff from offering the four-time world champion a new contract.

Despite this, in a sit down interview with Button for Sky Sports, Hamilton hinted at retirement within five years.

“Can you believe this is my 12th season?” Hamilton asked Button.

Hamilton then continued by questioning Button on how many seasons he had completed, and the 2009 world champion replied by confirming the answer as 17.

“You’ll be there before you know it,” Button told Hamilton.

Hamilton did not seem to keen on the thought of completing another five seasons, which would take him up to the year 2023.

(Scroll to 2:50 in the below video)

“I don’t know if I could...I definitely can’t get to 17.” he told Button.

In a Beyond the Grid F1 podcast, Hamilton discussed the mentality he would like to carry when he does in fact retire, and revealed a fascination in diving and sea life comparing it as a ‘thrill factor’.

He said: “Whenever my time is up, I’d like to imagine I would be at the Pearly Gates, thinking, ‘I didn’t get through everything I wanted to, but I gave it a good shot’.

“I did my diving test recently, because I love the ocean and I’m fascinated by sea life. I just love the thrill factor, and that’s never going to change.”