autoevolution
 

Lewis Hamilton's Deal With Mercedes F1 Just a Formality, Says Team Principal Toto Wolff

A lot has happened this season in Formula 1, albeit most of the interesting bits were off the racetrack. However, the one unanswered question on everybody’s lips concerns Lewis Hamilton’s future in the sport.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton 18 photos
Photo: Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Mercedes Team Principal Toto WolffMercedes Team Principal Toto WolffMercedes Team Principal Toto WolffMercedes Team Principal Toto WolffMercedes 2022 F1 CarMercedes 2022 F1 CarAndretti and Cadillac team up to race in Formula 1Lewis Hamilton Celebrating British GP Podium With Carlos SainzLewis Hamilton on Track At the French GPLewis Hamilton and George Russel Celebrating French GP PodiumLewis Hamilton Celebrating French GP PodiumLewis Hamilton on Track At the French GPLewis Hamilton and George Russel Celebrating After the Hungarian GPLewis Hamilton Celebrating Hungarian GP Podium With Carlos SainzLewis Hamilton and George Russel ConferenceLewis Hamilton and Kevin Magnusen at the Belgian GP Driver ConferenceLewis Hamilton on Track at Spa Practice
As Mercedes brought an uncompetitive car for the first time in the turbo hybrid era, we saw the seven-time World Champion struggle for the first time in his career. This was evidenced by the fact that the 2022 season is the first one in all his years of Grand Prix racing in which he did not win a race.

Compounding the issue is the fact that Hamilton was outraced by George Russell, who was in his first season with the Silver Arrows. This led many fans to question whether the Brit still has what it takes to go for one more championship win.

However, Hamilton is determined to do so and retire as an eight-time World Champion, breaking one final record in his illustrious career. And Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff seems to fully trust his ability to do so.

We’ve known for a while that Hamilton plans to sign another contract with the Brackley-based team. Still, no deal has gone through so far, despite Hamilton stating that he does not see a point by which his career must end.

According to the Mercedes team principal, “In the last 10 years, our relationship has grown that it's just a matter of him physically being back in Europe, sticking our heads together, wrestling a bit, and then leaving the room with white smoke after a few hours.” This hints that the contract negotiations will most likely be a trivial matter, most likely delayed due to the holiday season.

On top of that, we know it is not just going to be a one-year contract extension, as Hamilton himself stated, “I’m planning to do a multi-year deal with my team. I really, really don’t know what the next five years hold, I think we’re still trying to work on that.”

The British racing driver has also pointed out he is still in great shape, both physically and mentally. And we could notice that in the off-season, where Hamilton seems to have been focused on relaxing and recharging so he could come back stronger.

Even so, we should get comfortable with the idea that, by 2026, Hamilton will probably not be on the grid anymore. Considering that, by that point, he will be 41, he is unlikely to want to continue through yet another major regulation change.

Considering how confident both Hamilton and Wolff are, we can expect to see the contract signed before Mercedes’ contender for the 2023 season is revealed. And it will be interesting to see what the record-breaking Britton and Mercedes can achieve together this season, especially considering Red Bull is facing a setback.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Bogdan Bebeselea
Bogdan Bebeselea profile photo

As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories