The 7-time World Champion and Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton is said to be in the talks of a contract extension with Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton has been driving with Mercedes since 2013. He made a move from McLaren 11 years ago and has been with Mercedes ever since.
His current contract will be expiring in 6 months, by December. With no talks of whether Lewis will be signing a contract with Mercedes or not, there have also been rumors of him joining Ferrari. The 7 time Champion is undoubtedly in demand and Ferrari F1 team principal, Frederic Vasseur has been open about wanting Lewis at Ferrari.
Will Lewis Hamilton sign a new contract with Mercedes?
Lewis’ current contract is a $62 million deal that will be ending soon. There have been agreements from both parties but they are still in talks about the contract and are negotiating. Toto Wolff, the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team principal, was recently asked about Lewis Hamilton and his contract renewal. It seemed that Toto was very serious about having Lewis on board at Mercedes.
“It is going to happen soon. We are talking more days than weeks and trying to get it done.”
“We have a good relationship so we dread when we need to talk money.”
When he was asked about any updates, he shook off the questions saying that he has nothing more to add from his side about the contract. It was said that it would only be a matter of days. But with Lewis demanding a bumper contract, things might take a while.
Lewis Hamilton, 7-time World Champion and driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas. Toto said about the Lewis Hamilton contract extension. He then went on to express his views on Lewis Hamilton by saying,
“Lewis is the most important personality in the F1 sport.”
“He is multi-faceted, not only in racing but also off tracks. We need to keep him in the sport for as long as possible.” (via CNBC)
Hamilton has been signed to Mercedes for a very long. He only has one more title to win with them to beat Michael Schumacher’s record of 7 titles. But with talks about the contract, everyone has been anticipating the decision and wants to see Hamilton race for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton’s rising fame in F1
Lewis has been known to be called the “driver who’s more famous than the sport” by fans. He is often mentioned off track about his appearances at major fashion events. Widely known for his fashion sense, his outfits become the new topic at every paddock. He enjoys vacationing with his celebrity friends or hanging out with them at Coachella and does not hesitate to share it on his social media.
Toto Wolff then went on to reminisce about their journey together so far. He said,
“From a team’s perspective, Lewis and Mercedes go long back in time and Lewis has never raced for any other brand.”
“Both of us joined the team together in 2013 and started a professional relationship which has turned into a beautiful friendship.”
Team principal, Toto Wolff is adamant about signing Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton was asked about his contract with Mercedes too. He had stated that he had intentions of continuing to drive for Mercedes and has denied joining Ferrari.
Mercedes was offering Lewis a one-year extension to his contract with a $92 million-a-year deal. That turns out to have been an obstacle in the contract signing which is being resolved as a multi-year deal of $92 Million a year.
Ferrari has cooled down about getting Lewis on board with them and Lewis has denied him joining Ferrari. And with nothing being confirmed by both Mercedes and Lewis, it is assumed that they are still on negotiating terms. When asked about Lewis being asked by Ferrari, Toto was very quick to shut down the talks. According to him, Lewis can win his eighth title only if he stays with Mercedes.