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Lewis Hamilton’s contract at Mercedes expires at year-end
Lewis Hamilton, who had just won his ninth race of the season and was on the brink of a seventh world title, caused some stir at Imola on Sunday night when he unexpectedly suggested that “there was no guarantee” that he would still be in Formula 1. in 2021.
Yet at the same time, the Mercedes star driver also reiterated what he has generally said in a similar vein for months: “I’d like to be here next year.”
There is a possibility that Hamilton will sign a new contract with Mercedes to stay on the grid and Toto Wolff, the team boss and confidante of the world champion, said on Sunday that he does not anticipate the 35-year-old walking away from the sport in the end. next month.
But what is behind the unusually long wait to get to the negotiating table? We look at the story so far …
What is Hamilton’s contractual status?
0:56 Lewis Hamilton responds about his future in F1 when asked about Toto Wolff’s next race on Sunday at Imola.
Hamilton’s current two-year deal with Mercedes, which he signed in July 2018, expires at the end of December.
That means he will be out of contract in just eight weeks, an unprecedented situation in Hamilton’s F1 career so late in a season.
But this is not just any season in any year …
What have Hamilton and Mercedes said about it?
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas pour champagne on Toto Wolff after Mercedes ‘won their seventh Constructors’ Championship
In a joint interview with Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle in February, when the world was a very different place, Hamilton and Wolff recalled their last contract negotiations in 2018.The discussions took place in Hamilton’s apartment in Monaco and lasted 10 hours while they fought. the terms of this existing pizza deal.
But any repetition of such an informal but intense face-to-face negotiation this time around has been complicated by the impact and restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.
Contract renewals, naturally, weren’t the top priority during the spring close and, speaking in interview with Karun Chandhok at Silverstone in August Once the season began, Hamilton said he was uncomfortable with the prospect of discussing a new deal amid a pandemic that was having such a devastating impact on livelihoods around the world.
“I think particularly at a time when people are losing their jobs, generally honestly, I feel a little uncomfortable sitting down and talking numbers and talking about a new contract when there are people who don’t eat, there are people out there. people who are starving, there are people who have lost their jobs during this pandemic. “
Both sides have since cited the fast-paced nature of the short season as making it difficult to find enough time for talks. The first nine races were held in the space of 11 weeks, although the schedule has normalized somewhat since then.
In any case, with Hamilton and his teammate Valtteri Bottas living what Wolff has described as “hermit” lifestyles outside of the car to ensure that potential exposure to Covid-19 is limited as much as possible, in-person meetings are they have become everything but the norm.
4:21 Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok takes a look at the current state of the F1 driver market ahead of the 2021 season
There have also been world tokens to win, of course,
Mercedes achieved a record seventh constructors ‘championship in Italy on Sunday, but Hamilton is still at least one more race away from closing a seventh drivers’ crown that equals the record to tie F1’s biggest record.
His first chance to do so comes at the Turkish GP on November 15, after which there are three rounds left until December 13 in Abu Dhabi.
At the Portuguese GP just over a week ago, Hamilton said of his Mercedes future: “I definitely don’t think it’s over. I want to continue.
“I think once we do the work and the bubble stress and everything passes, we can get to whatever position we need to be comfortable or uncomfortable in and we will do so in order to continue.”
What could Hamilton’s considerations be?
4:22 Lewis Hamilton exclusive interview about his future in F1 ahead of the Portuguese GP
Turning 36 in January and nearing the end of his fourteenth season in F1, Hamilton’s next deal in the sport could possibly be his last, so it is understandable that he is taking the time to weigh and decide what he wants from them. years to come as part of any new deal. He has certainly hinted at it.
Any multi-year deal would also push Hamilton into the new era of F1 regulations from 2022 designed to shut down the field, another factor to consider.
Hamilton told Sky Sports in Portimao that “I don’t think I’m at my best” and that “I still want to keep racing, but I don’t know how much longer it will be.”
He added: “It’s brilliant [the future]What I decide to do, but it also has to be in line with the times, it has to be in line with my values and it has to be in line with what the team is planning to do.
“All I can say is that I plan to be here next year.”
What impact does waiting have to learn about Wolff’s future?
5:12 Mercedes boss Toto Wolff talks to Sky F1 about his future in F1 after overseeing a seventh consecutive constructors’ title for the team.
Much like the way Michael Schumacher’s career and success were so closely linked with Ross Brawn and Jean Todt, Hamilton and Wolff have established themselves as one of the most famous driver crew chief double acts in racing history. sport.
Wolff, who oversaw his 100th win as team principal on Sunday, has been assessing his own future this year and it looks set to culminate in his participation in a new role within a Mercedes team that he co-owns, with the Austrian mentioning potential titles. as such CEO.
“I think everyone has a certain lifespan on a role and I haven’t reached the end of mine,” said Wolff on Sunday, who also revealed that he felt “rejuvenated” this season from the close and that he certainly wouldn’t. be moving away from Brackley’s team altogether.
“I think I can still contribute, but I need to think ahead to move forward.
“Raising someone, developing them doing this role, is something that is a fantastic challenge for me and it will be one of the next chapters. But they will see me for a while.”
Speaking Sunday, Hamilton spoke enthusiastically about Wolff’s qualities as a “leader,” but made clear: “He’s not going to put anyone who can’t do the job, who isn’t up to the job, who isn’t going to be prepared. You will find the right people. “
When will Hamilton sign?
Lewis Hamilton gets his first chance to win a seventh world championship at the Turkish GP
As Wolff and Mercedes know very well after the sudden retirement of Nico Rosberg, fresh off the world title (and four months after signing a new contract) in 2016, you can never be totally sure of anything in Formula 1.
But it seems unlikely that this would result in the same explosive result. Particularly since both Hamilton and Mercedes, who have highlighted their mutual loyalty, are rewriting the record books all the time. This season, for all its complexities, has shown that the winning giant is arguably more formidable than ever.
As Wolff commented in the wake of the six-time champion’s cryptic comments Sunday night: “We want to continue this journey.
“Lewis, me and the whole team, we are not done.”
He suspects Mercedes’ long-suffering rivals know it too amid the expectation that Hamilton will remain behind the wheel of the world champions in 2021 to spearhead the quest for an astonishing eighth straight double in the championship.
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