The mystery of Lewis Hamilton’s new contract with Mercedes rumbles on and is affecting the Formula One driver market for next season and beyond. While it is fairly normal for the British driver to delay the signing of each new deal he has agreed with his team until the last minute, this time it is different.

Hamilton and his representatives have always been coy over each of his Mercedes’ contracts since his first expired in 2014, leveraging the British driver’s success and marketability to the full with the inherent threat he could always leave the team for pastures new.

 

 

Hamilton making very different noises

Following the disappointing end to the 2021 season where Mercedes decided not to pit Hamilton under the late safety car in Abu Dhabi, costing him the race and the title; Hamilton went ‘dark’ for weeks and fuelled mounting speculation he was to retire before finally announcing his new deal with Mercedes’ in February – just before pre-season testing.

Yet Lewis has behaved quite differently over what many believe would be his final drivers’ deal with Mercedes. He announced as early as the USA Grand Prix in Austin that he wanted a multi year deal with the former world championship winning outfit.

When asked how long he would continue racing by the assembled media in Austin, Lewis replied, “I have not a put a limit on it to be honest. I’m planning to do a multi-year deal with my team.

“I really don’t know what the next five years… I think we’re still trying to work on that. There are a lot of great things that are being put in place, like I just launched the production company this week, but I feel great in my mind and body,” he concluded.

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Undue delay in contract agreement

With little hope of another world championship on the immediate horizon, Hamilton’s talk of a possible five more years suggested he wants to remain in the sport until he has the opportunity to claim the historic eight world title that eluded him in 2021.

The Mercedes team boss confirmed the contract renewal with his star driver would be something “we will tackle over the winter.”

With no deal agreed by the time the new 2023 F1 cars were being revealed to the world, Toto the contract talks had progressed no further because he and Hamilton had been holidaying on different continents.

“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,” said the Mercedes boss.

Wolff gives up…

 

 

Hamilton wanted 10 year ambassador role

Since then soft deadlines for an announcement have cone and gone with an announcement favoured at Lewis’ home Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Given the expectation of a contract renewal early this year, speculation has run wild as to why the deal is yet to be done. Hamilton set the rumour mill alight by recently suggesting the difficulty was because “this is more than just a driver contract.”

Sportune reported in February Lewis was looking for a 10 year ambassador role for the Mercedes brand worth $25m a year, but that Stuttgart were stalling on this aspect of his new deal.

Toto Wolff killed this contract t request dead I the water the day before Formula One began its four week summer break.

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Wolff refuses Hamilton request

“No, we’re not talking about an ambassadorial role post his retirement, nor is that part of the contract negotiations.”

“I think he has many years to go as a driver within this team and, therefore, it’s only about cleaning things up in the contract.

“I know it looks a little bit like ‘Why is this not being done and dusted?’

“But it’s simply down to trivial things that just need to be cleaned up in contracts and we need the time.”

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Speculation Hamilton was finished

To many Hamilton looked like a spent force in 2022. He’d lost his record winning title on the last lap of the last race the previous year and Mercedes had provided him with a car that he described as “the worst” he’d ever driven.

Further he was beaten for only the third time by his team mate and rising F1 star George Russell in the final drivers’ standings and the chatter increased about a possible retirement from F1.

However, Lewis has delivered for Mercedes this season while Russell has faltered. Hamilton is now just one point behind Fernando Alonso who is positioned next best to the Red Bull drivers, while Russell is a distant 49 points further back.

Confusion still reigns over Lewis Hamilton’s future in Formula One with a number of Italian writers claiming he was in discussions with Ferrari. This was fuelled by comments from 2021 wheat the Italian Grand Prix in Anza Hamilton said driving for Ferrari “was a dream.”

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Ferrari rumoured talks with Lewis

Yet both the Scuderia and Hamilton have since denied the British driver will be appearing in red anytime soon suggesting the leaked story was a negotiating ploy used by Lewis management team.

“The dream” appeared to be scuppered when it was reported in the Italian media in the last few days that Charles Lecerlc had signed a huge new contract with options running until 2029.

Allegedly Mercedes were interested in signing the young Monegasque star and it would be as a replacement for Hamilton. This would have opened the door for Lewis for have his “dream” final hurrah driving for the most historic F1 team of all time.

Charles Leclerc now speaking to Corriere dello Sport denies he has agreed any new contract to extend his stay with the Scuderia beyond 2024.

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Leclerc denies new Ferrari deal done

“The rumours that put me in other teams just means that I’m doing my job well. But I’m indifferent about them because I know what I want. I still don’t know what Ferrari wants from me,” Leclerc said

“The discussions about the contract haven’t started yet, but everything is clear to me,” he insists. “I love Ferrari and I want to win here. That is my priority.”

The new Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is under significant pressure to turn around the team’s fortunes. They have slipped from being the team chasing down Red Bull in 2022 to the fourth best this season. 

An announcement by the Scuderia which ties Leclerc to the team for the long term future would be a feather in Vasseur’s cap and head of some of the negative media surrounding the team’s current performance.

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Vasseur needs a win with Italian media

Fred references one of the greatest Ferrari team principal’s in Jean Todt who turned around a miserably performing outfit in the 1990’s to one that claimed the second longest run of constructor titles in F1 history.

Since the Frenchman’s 17 year reign, Ferrari have chopped and changed their team boss far too regularly for stability purposes. It was of course only in Todt’s 7th season he oversaw a Ferrari championship win, the first for two decades.

“Jean was great at surviving and developing the team well,” Vasseur said.

“I think it was more difficult for Jean to just survive those seven years between 1993 and 2000 than to then win titles over and over again,” Vasseur cunningly suggests in an effort to buy himself time at the ever turbulent Italian team.

Yet for now the Hamilton contract negotiations hailed as a sprint and which have become a marathon will keep the world guessing on the British driver’s future in Formula One.

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