Wolff analyses the current Mercedes F1 contract situation
F1 News
Mercedes have placed themselves in a clever position. Whether on accident or on purpose, all three candidates for the 2022 Mercedes seat have a contract that runs out at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff sheds some light on the current situation and also reveals he had COVID-19 which caused a further delay in negotiations with Lewis Hamilton.
In February, Hamilton's contract was extended by one year. The seven-time World Champion has the chance to become the first eight-time F1 World Champion, but it's uncertain whether he will compete in 2022. Months of speculation and rumours were generated before the team finally announced the deal.
During Tuesday's car launch video, the Mercedes boss explains the reasons behind the delays. He also hints that further contract negotiations with Hamilton will take place throughout the 2021 season.
"It's very simple. With Lewis, there was a particular media attention on our contract negotiations. It's actually funny because myself and Lewis are so aligned. During the season we didn't have the scope to talk to each other and spend enough time with each other to have that conversation," Wolff said during the Mercedes W12 launch video.
"We thought about doing it between the two Bahrain races, then he fell ill. Then we both went into our holidays, we talked during the holidays but then I had COVID. So that all delayed it. It's down to the details. Then we knew we had to close that conversation because the season is right in front of us. We had been talking a lot about the future, about Lewis driving the car in the future but also our partnership going forward. We thought let's discuss this during the year and find more time."
Bottas and Russell
Valtteri Bottas' deal was confirmed early in the 2020 season. He has been clinging onto the second Mercedes seat for a number of seasons, but now faces a serious challenge from George Russell. The Brit's contract at Williams also runs out at the end of the 2021 season.
"As for Valtteri, he has been in an unfortunate situation for the last few years with the one-year contracts. He functions really well under pressure, he is the cool Finn. But 2022 is a completely new year with new regulations, and that's why we just want to see how it works out during the year."