Lewis Hamilton’s renewal with Mercedes is on track to become the soap opera of the year in Formula 1. british pilot contract expires at the end of 2023and although he has shown his commitment to the Brackley team on countless occasions, the negotiations are taking longer than expected.
The bad start to the season of the German team, in which they were a stark distance from Red Bull and were clearly surpassed by Aston Martin, sowed doubts about the continuity of Lewis Hamilton beyond this season.
In fact, during the months of March and April, rumors spread through the paddock of a possible signing of the seven-time world champion by Ferrari in an exchange that would end Charles Leclerc in the star’s team.
However, this information has cooled as Mercedes has managed to have a competitive car again renouncing the ‘zero pontoons’ concept and opting for a more conventional design.
In the last weeks, Hamilton and Toto Wolff began to negotiate the extension of his contractand although both made clear their desire to continue together, the agreement seems to be still far away.
A complex negotiation
The Mercedes team manager ensures that a negotiation of this caliber does not only involve the team and the driver. “Obviously, there are more people involved because there is the management of Lewis, the lawyers on our side and it never depends only on me“Wolf explained in statements collected by ‘RacingNews365’.
However, the Austrian ensures that the harmony with the seven-time champion is total, at least in the main aspects of the agreement. “Lewis and I spent an afternoon together in New York sitting on a couch discussing the essential details.Wolff said.
the end is imminent
Traditionally, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have announced their successive renewals in the summer months, with the exception of 2021, when he signed just a month before the start of the season. Therefore, it is likely that in the coming weeks the future of the seven-time world champion will be clarified.
