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(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lewis Hamilton put both British Boulevard and its fans in great excitement at Imola on Sunday. “Lewis Hamilton shock: world title, then resign?” Was a headline. Elsewhere it said: “Lewis Hamilton suggests resignation at the end of the 2020 season!” That has the subtext, as if as a practically seven-time world champion (in Istanbul he only has to finish second with 25 points for Valtteri Bottas to fix the title) suddenly he no longer wants to continue his career.
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Lewis Hamilton is in the headlines with a statement Sunday Focus
But the headlines are a) greatly abbreviated, b) taken out of the context of repeated statements from last weekend, and c) probably fit Hamilton c) very well into the concept. When you are negotiating the amount of your fare with the team boss, Toto Wolff, it can only be helpful if you don’t give the impression that you want to keep driving for Mercedes at any cost, if necessary for much less money than before.
The situation took on a life of its own when, after the race, Wolff repeated on the British pay TV station ‘Sky’ what he first said on ‘ORF’, namely that his resignation from the post of team leader it’s only a matter of time and you’re already looking for a successor.
This in turn prompted journalist Ben Hunt from the ‘Sun’ to ask at the FIA press conference held at the same time in Hamilton how he sees Wolff and his own future. At the same time, Hamilton said the flippant phrase that’s causing the media upset today: “I don’t even know if I’ll be here next year. So I don’t really think about that.”
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A few minutes later, Rebecca Clancy of the Times asked if it was really established that Hamilton would continue in 2021, or if there really is a possibility that his career will end. Answer: “It is now November, but I still have [keinen Vertrag unterschrieben] … It’s crazy that Christmas is coming soon. “
“I feel great, I feel strong. I could go on for months. But as you mentioned to Toto and his thoughts: I want to be here next year. But there are no guarantees,” explains Hamilton, and continues: when he says: “There are many things in my life after that that interest me. “
Hamilton and Wolff are in a strong position in their negotiations with Daimler. If either of you leaves, it would probably be manageable in some way. But when they both leave, the team has a big problem. That is why there is lively speculation in the industry that the two have linked their futures like Christian Horner and Adrian Newey used to do at Red Bull.
In any case, Wolff is not afraid of a “Nico Rosberg moment”: “I’m used to everything. That’s why I don’t think it will happen,” he said in an interview with ORF. “But I always expect surprises. In that case, I don’t think it will happen. But you never know. Plan B is in my head.”
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That, of course, fuels new (purely hypothetical) speculation. Would George Russell, the young man from Mercedes with a contract with Williams, come then? Or Esteban Ocon, who will be loaned to Renault without termination clauses until the end of 2021? Both would be rather unspectacular variants.
But Wolff says, “If that happened, there would be some excitement in the driver market. Let’s see what happens then.” Because a Rosberg comeback is completely out of the question, especially at Mercedes, that can only mean: Wolff would then go after Max Verstappen, or maybe Sebastian Vettel would lose his friend Lawrence Stroll.
Photo Gallery: Imola – Notes from the Editorial Team Host
Lance Stroll (5): Where do you start with him? Almost out in Q1 in qualifying, he broke his front wing early in the race, just too slow overall, knocked down a mechanic at the pitstop and now no points for five races. For us that was even on the border of 6
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The fact that Wolff has to translate his mind games into reality is almost impossible anyway. “Nothing is certain in life until there is a signature,” he says. “We are both emotionally in a similar situation where it just doesn’t feel good to finish everything if we focus on this championship.”
“The Lewis World Cup is not over yet. I think once it is decided, we will make a decision on how to proceed. There is nothing for sure. But I am optimistic that he wants to continue, that we can still achieve something together. That is why I have trust “.
Wolff: does not want to infect Lewis with coronavirus
Both Wolff and Hamilton never tire of emphasizing that it’s basically about finding a suitable day in the journal. Now that Mercedes has both world titles under its belt, it should be easier. Even if Wolff restricts: “I don’t want to infect him with COVID so that then he also misses a race or two.”
The Austrian puts in perspective PK’s statement that makes Hamilton headlines: “These are the emotions. We are very happy, but also tired. I can totally understand that, because I feel like I question myself, what do I think if there is no nothing else that is important. “
Somehow it goes hand in hand with Hamilton, says Wolff: “We have a symbiosis.” He was able to understand Hamilton’s response, because: “Nothing is 100 percent safe. Niki also woke up one morning in Montreal and thought, ‘I just don’t enjoy this anymore.” And that can happen to any of us. “
But: “We want to continue this journey together. We are not done yet.” As for his own future, “everything is basically clear,” says Wolff: “It’s just a matter of finding the right moment and signing the contract. Until now, when the world championship titles were not yet fixed, that was not the case.
Wolff: After the World Cup decision, it’s pizza day!
“Lewis and I think similarly. As long as these world championships are not in the bag, as long as they are not done, somehow they do not fit,” explains Wolff. “But the time will come when the drivers’ title will finally be decided, and then we will sit down with a pizza and do it. There are still a few months until the first race in Australia.”
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Also for the resolution of the dilemma that the market value of Hamilton as the new holder of the historical Formula 1 record with increasing world recognition is higher than ever, but the Daimler Group can hardly justify a new record salary in the midst of the crisis. of the crown in front of the works council and company.
Wolff acknowledges that Hamilton has “tremendously” gained his profile beyond the limits of Formula 1 fans. That helps the sport as a whole and Mercedes in particular in marketing. “We have respected that in the past, and we will always respect it in the future,” emphasized the team boss.
“Lewis and I have respect for each other’s position. We walk away from the day because of course we have to discuss these issues. But in the past we’ve always reached a good compromise that has worked for all of us. And I don’t have one. You doubt we’ll make it this time too, “Wolff said.