Wolff on Hamilton contract: 'There's no deadline on it'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is confident that Lewis Hamilton will still extend his contract at Mercedes. Speaking to Formula1.com Wolff stressed that although no concrete agreements have yet been made, it will be a top priority of his ahead of the start of next season.
The partnership between Hamilton and Mercedes has been unprecedentedly successful. Together, they have won the drivers' title six times and the constructors' title eight times. Yet 2022 was a down year for both parties: it was the first season in his entire career that Hamilton failed to win a race.
In 2023, Hamilton's current contract expires. Both Mercedes and Hamilton himself have publicly stated several times that the partnership will still be extended, but as yet no definitive new contract has been signed. Wolff expects that to change this winter.
"Certainly, Lewis’s contract is one of the topics that we will tackle over the winter, but there is no firm deadline," Wolff explained. However, he does not expect negotiations to be problematic. "Lewis is part of the team, and the team is part of Lewis. There’s no reason not to continue"
Is Hamilton entering his final years?
There has been an expectation for some time that Hamilton is in the final years of his career. At 38, he is the second-oldest driver on the grid, behind Fernando Alonso. The assumption was that after winning his eighth title - which would make him sole holder of the record - Hamilton would hang up his racing helmet, but the thrilling 2021 season finale and disappointing 2022 season have at least postponed that moment for a while. Wolff explained that he does not think this will affect Hamilton's motivation and that the British driver will only start next season with more dedication.