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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said he believes Lewis Hamilton is far from finished with Formula One after the world champion suggested he is considering ending his career. Hamilton won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on Sunday, but has yet to renew his contract with Mercedes and said after the race there were no guarantees that he would continue next year.
With a landslide victory at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari track, his ninth this 13-race season, Hamilton has nearly sealed his seventh F1 title, which will equal Michael Schumacher’s championship record. The 35-year-old is in the shape of his life and previously suggested he could run another three years. However, his contract with Mercedes is ending this season and, despite repeated statements from the British driver and the team that they hoped a new deal would be made easily, none have yet been closed. “I don’t even know if I’ll be here next year,” Hamilton said deliberately at Imola.
Hamilton and Wolff joined Mercedes in 2013 since they have enjoyed remarkable success. Mercedes clinched its seventh consecutive constructors’ championship on Sunday and Hamilton has taken five of his six titles with the team. The pair have developed a very close relationship during this time, but Wolff also confirmed in Imola that he intended to step back from his main team role to take on a different position on the team.
Wolff is ready to close a deal for his new role at Mercedes and believes he and Hamilton will continue with the team. “I think we go together somehow,” he said. “We have a symbiosis and it is obviously important where our hearts and minds are for next year. I am very proud to be a co-owner of Mercedes and I am not going anywhere.
We want to continue this journey, we are not done. Lewis, me and the whole team, we are not done. “
Wolff has stated that he wants to make sure both titles are sealed before he and Hamilton sit down to discuss a new contract. Hamilton has an 85 point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas, if he is 78 points ahead after the next round in Turkey he will take the drivers’ championship. A win or just finishing against the Finn will be enough.
Wolff reiterated his belief that with the secured securities he was sure a deal would be reached. “I was focused on bringing these championships home and it doesn’t feel good to spend days with lawyers and people when I’m so focused on what’s happening on the track,” he said. “There will be a time when the drivers’ championship is going to be decided, we sit down and we have a few months before the first race [of the 2021 season] it happens in Australia. “
Mercedes has enjoyed almost complete dominance this season, winning 11 of 13 races. With regulations frozen for next year, they can expect to rule again and it seems highly unlikely that Hamilton will walk away from the opportunity to beat Schumacher’s championship record. He’s certainly not lacking in motivation and after the victory at Imola he feels like he’s only getting better.
“I definitely think that in recent years I have really been able to take a step forward, great strides, in positive areas and I think that comes with age,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without these great people working behind me who really give us the solid foundation of a reliable car, a fast car, to do what we’ve done, so it’s pretty impressive.”
