Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will negotiate at the end of the season

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have decided not to begin negotiations for a new contract before the end of the year. Both parties can afford this delay as they have a contract binding them for the next season. Therefore, discussions will focus on the period starting in 2016.

Toto Wolff, the team principal, therefore stated to Autosport that there will be no negotiations until the end of the season but the goal is to retain his driver: « At the moment, things are very intense and you must focus on the season. But one thing is certain: we will not talk to anyone until we have a very clear idea of how we can continue to work with Lewis. »

But this statement is somewhat surprising as Mercedes took advantage of the German Grand Prix to officially announce Nico Rosberg’s contract extension, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season. Moreover, the Austrian’s comments come in the week following the collision between the two teammates on the track, which could be a definitive break in their friendly relations and provoke a desire to leave from one of the drivers.

Lewis Hamilton and his employer have therefore agreed on the following terms: « This is what we have said to each other: we are not interested in discussions with any other driver, and we have none. And Lewis has no discussions with any other team. That’s why we trust each other. »

However, in an environment as small as the paddock, it seems impossible that no discussion, even informal, takes place. We can recall that Niki Lauda managed to bring Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes when the British driver had just retired once again from the Singapore Grand Prix in 2012. His arrival was officially announced only five days after that race…

Such news will undoubtedly interest a team like McLaren, which has clearly stated that it wants to secure the services of the best drivers available on the market. The transfer market could therefore conclude very late among the top teams, which can only delay those for the teams at the bottom of the standings.

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr