Hamilton not happy with Button and Hill: 'You'd think they'd know me'

Hamilton won six world titles with Mercedes, but for the past two seasons Max Verstappen was the strongest. In 2023, based on the test days, Hamilton again seems nowhere near winning a championship in the king class of motorsport. Even if Mercedes is not competitive this year, he will still sign on.

"It is ultimately people creating rumours without facts, and it is never helpful. You would have thought that they would both know me by now," he refers to Button and Hill to The Independent and others. "I have been with Mercedes since I was 13, and last year we had a difficult year, but I am still here, and whether or not we have a difficult year this year, I will still be here."

Hamilton continued: "I am a fighter and we fight as a team. I love the challenge of finding solutions and I still believe I am able to put the car in places that perhaps others are not able to. I love that challenge." Mercedes and Hamilton are in no hurry to extend the contract. At the presentation of the 2023 car, team boss Toto Wolff already said that it could only be a while before the signatures are finalised.