When it comes to Formula One driver contract drama Lewis Hamilton has for over a decade been filling millions of column inches across the sports pages around the globe. Hamilton usually leaves putting ink to paper until the last minute when his leverage has been at its maximum. However, with a contract lasting to the end of 2023 the British driver surprised many when during the closing stages of the 2022 season he revealed he would be looking to sign a “multi year” deal with Mercedes before the start of the new season.
This led to a huge amount of speculation as to why Hamilton has changed his modus operandi. One line of thought was having been beaten by team mate George Russell during2022 in their first season together, another year of the same would much reduce Hamilton’s kudos and even his financial leverage.
Lewis Hamilton’s options limited
In a similar vein of thought, Lewis has few options to move to a top team and claim that record braking 8th drivers’ title given the contracts Ferrari and Red Bull have with their top drivers. Therefore his only option is to remain at Mercedes for the foreseeable future in his attempt to break Michael Schumacher’s F1 world championship victories.
Of course with a multi-year contract signed for an eye watering amount of money, the option is then solely with Hamilton as to whether he retires early. Were Mercedes to prove they will not be ‘at the races’ until the new 2026 F1 regulations it could be Lewis believes this is too long to wait for a chance to fight for another drivers’ championship.
TJ123 reported a shift in the mood music earlier this month when Toto Wolff began to play down the notion that Hamilton’s contract would be sorted before the season begins in Bahrain.
Toto Wolff shifts the mood music
“We have a full year to go,” Wolff said this month in a surprise shift from the notion it was all but a “done deal.”
The Mercedes boss suggested though it wouldn’t take long for matters to be resolved: “We’re so aligned 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 leaving the room with white smoke after a few hours.”
It now appears that Lewis Hamilton will start the new season without an extension to his current Mercedes’ contract. Spotune recently reported Lewis was set to get a hefty increase in his annual remuneration from $42m to £62m but Mercedes now deny this to be the case stating they are “completely unfounded.”
Hamilton mega pay rise denied by Mercedes
Sportune also claimed the world champion would no longer have a world championship winning bonus included in the new deal.
Now the London Insider cites ‘sources’ who claim Hamilton will have no deal arranged before the season opener on Bahrain.
Speculation will obviously grow that Hamilton is waiting to see if the W14 is competitive or not before agreeing a new contract, though as previously noted Lewis has few other options with another competitive team.
It could then be Mercedes are waiting to see how Lewis performs compared to George Russell. At a fraction of the cost, if Russell is the team’s next best hope of race wins and championships, the wheels may quickly be turned on Lewis Hamilton.
Now the two political pastmasters, the wolf and the hyena, are having a go at each other.
It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
It is all because of Max Verstappen. Gawd, how Hamilton must be hating him! It is no surprise that Hamilton misses no opportunity to make snide remarks against him, and
saying in the same breath that he ‘respects’ Max.
Same old, same old….this happened last year….would LH sign his contract
OR NOT? Wolff insists on playing these games, just to keep the attention on them. It’s almost childish ….OMG two months to go!