Hamilton wants to sign his new Mercedes contract early
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is eager to sign a new Formula 1 contract with Mercedes before the summer break.
Mercedes’ one-year contract extension for the 2021 season for Hamilton was only announced in February, after postponing negotiations throughout the entire previous season. The British driver is hungry for races and victories and has previously stated that he does not consider 2021 as his final season in F1. He would like to be part of the Mercedes adventure for 2022.
Considering Lewis Hamilton’s thunderous start to the season with 94 points after four Grand Prix, 3 wins, and of course the lead in the drivers’ championship, one wonders how his requests could not be successful. After the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, the Briton stated that he wanted to start discussions with Toto Wolff, director of Mercedes, earlier than in 2020 so that his future would be settled by the August summer break.
« We never want to be in the position we were in January, in February. It ruined my whole winter and I’m sure it wasn’t helpful for Toto in terms of absence and relaxation, so we felt like we really didn’t have a break. », said Hamilton.
« I think we need to be reasonable. Naturally, we should not rush into anything, but I think we need to be reasonable and start conversations. It’s never a super simple process and I hope we can start soon, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the current work.
We still have 19 races to go, but it would be great to implement something before the break, so that we can be in this break and have a clear picture of the future.
« It would be great to put something in place before the break »
The two Silver Arrow drivers will be out of contract by the end of the year, leaving both seats potentially available at Mercedes. Additionally, the Mercedes clan’s junior, George Russell, will be a free agent at the end of his current contract with Williams, making a transfer to the senior team possible. However, Toto Wolff, the great manager that he is, believes it is still far too early to discuss the composition of the Mercedes team for 2022, having brushed off rumors of a possible mid-season departure by Bottas.
Mercedes currently has two seats available for the 2022 season, with Lewis Hamilton’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, also at the end of his contract. Mercedes junior driver, George Russell, will be a free agent at the end of his current contract with Williams, making a transfer to the senior team possible.
