Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff mentioned he had “mentioned for the primary time” with Lewis Hamilton in regards to the driving contract for the staff.
The seven-time world champion has been racing for Mercedes since 2013. The ultimate contract extension will maintain him with the staff till the tip of this 12 months.
Hamilton had beforehand left his contract standing indefinite on the finish of a season, prompting him to signal a one-year deal forward of the 2021 championship. However Wolff believes a brand new deal needs to be simply organized.
“We have had just a few of those conventions previously, they usually differ little from iteration to iteration, in order that they’re often not difficult besides in apparent phrases,” he instructed media, together with RaceFans, on the launch of the staff’s new W14 chassis.
“We had our first dialog. However I do not wish to stick with any timeline as a result of at that stage it does not matter to him or to us. It takes an entire 12 months and we’ll discover the appropriate time.”
Hamilton enters the 2023 F1 season because the second oldest driver on the grid, however Wolff mentioned his age will not cease him from extending his multi-year contract.
Wolff mentioned, “I do not suppose the age of 38 issues in any respect for the subsequent contract. “For those who take a look at how the most effective athletes on this planet push the boundaries, I believe this [American footballer] Tom Brady, 45, throws the ball on the sector and is intercepted. So age doesn’t play a job.
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“When it comes to contract standing. I believe we have at all times discovered good options that mirror his worth for the staff and the game. Alternatively, I believe that is the place Mercedes desires to be. So these items have by no means been a controversial subject.”
The concord between Wolff, Hamilton and Mercedes is nice. “And as in earlier years, I believe it brought on extra hysteria. [some in the media] that we did not announce something. However it wasn’t an issue for us to get issues performed earlier than we truly went to the race in the course of the winter as a result of it was at all times clear that we might.
“It is virtually like sitting is not our prime precedence as a result of that is going to be a journey we will proceed.”
Hamilton has confirmed he’s assured in Mercedes’ championship-winning potential once more after experiencing its first season with out a win final 12 months. “I do not suppose I want them to show it to me. I believe we have confirmed over time that we have now a deep energy.
“We nonetheless have all these extremely gifted people on the staff. You don’t lose this means. We try to enhance our processes and we try to be smarter in our strategy to occasions and our communication. I believe the staff has the most effective concord I’ve seen in all these years.”
He mentioned he was inspired to see Mercedes usher in new workers within the low season. “We now have a extremely contemporary, younger group of engineers and a gaggle of people that simply joined the staff final 12 months,” he mentioned. “It is an thrilling time for the staff and I do not plan to be wherever else.”
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