Over the last few months, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes‘ partnership has come into doubt. With the Briton’s contract ending after the current Formula 1 season, the team is yet to extend his contract. In a recent interview with a Sky Sports junior reporter from Germany, Toto Wolff apparently leaked details of Lewis Hamilton’s contract.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton have been teasing about the contract extension for a while now. There have also been rumors of Hamilton leaving Mercedes. Although these rumors are more likely to be false. Of course, all the top teams would like to see Hamilton driving the car. But it doesn’t mean he will accept.
Since the beginning, the 7-time champ has expressed no interest in leaving Mercedes. Even Mercedes has no interest in letting Lewis go. Both parties have always been open about extending their contract. Over a month back, Toto Wolff had mentioned that the contract would be signed in days rather than weeks. However, there has been no official announcement yet. Maybe the deal was signed behind the curtains.
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Some F1 veterans have suggested that Lewis will not be signing a deal with Mercedes as they are not able to provide him with a car to win another Championship. However, over the last few weeks, Lewis has been able to consistently achieve podium finishes. This seems to be a positive sign for the team. They now seem to be on the right track in catching up with Red Bull.
Now there is a rumor that Toto Wolff has leaked information about Lewis Hamilton’s contract to a junior reported before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
What did Toto Wolff say to the junior reporter?
According to the rumors, Toto Wolff apparently told the junior reporter that Lewis Hamilton would extend his contract for 2 years. He also mentioned that he could not say it officially, hence he whispered it into the ear of the junior reporter. The reporter has apparently leaked it on live TV.
There is a possibility that Mercedes might officially announce the contract if it has actually been leaked by the junior reporter. Most Mercedes and Hamilton fans are expecting the contract to be announced anytime soon. Mercedes has a history of not officially announcing contracts with drivers after signing. They often delay the announcement until the end of the season.
So Toto told one of the child reporters of Sky Germany that Lewis will extend his contract for two years.
Toto said he can‘t say it officially and whispered it to him. The child reporter just said it live now. pic.twitter.com/BJU1WdQd58
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) July 23, 2023
Lewis Hamilton has been in Formula 1 for 16 years now. He is 38 years of age. The only other current Formula 1 driver who is older than Hamilton is Fernando Alonso who is 41 years old. Considering his age, a 2-year deal makes sense. He is not showing any lack of performance.
He just took his 104th pole position. Also might not have too many years of racing ahead of him. So a 2-year deal will see him race until he is 40. By which time, he could consider retirement.
Lewis Hamilton’s main goal with this contract extension will be to win another Championship. Having equaled Michael Schumacher’s record of 7 Championships in 2020, he has been itching to break it. He came close to winning another in 2021 but was unable to do so due to a last-minute safety car.