Lewis Hamilton wants to agree a new F1 contract with Mercedes before the summer break begins.
Mercedes announced a single-year extension to Hamilton’s current contract in February. Following his victory in yesterday’s Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton said he doesn’t want to wait as late to agree his next deal with the team’s CEO Toto Wolff.“We never want to be in the position that we were in January, in February,” said Hamilton. “It ruined my whole winter and I’m sure it wasn’t helpful for Toto’s, in terms of being able to be off and relaxed, it felt like we didn’t really have much of a break.”
Hamilton wants his next deal in place before the mandatory break begins, following the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 1st.
“I think we have to be sensible,” he said. “Naturally we don’t have to rush anything but I think we have to be sensible and start conversations. They’re very complex, it’s never a super simple procedure and so hopefully soon we can start, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the actual job.
“We still have 19 races to do but it would be great to get something in place before the break so then we could, again, be in that break and have a clear picture of the future.”
Hamilton, 36, is leading the drivers championship after four of 23 rounds, and could clinch a record-breaking eighth world title this year. He is Britain’s richest sportsperson and F1’s highest-paid driver, despite taking a salary cut when he extended his contract for the 2021 season.
Formula 1 teams are continuing to discuss whether to introduce a cap on drivers’ salaries. Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said the discussions are still at an “early” stage and “there needs to be done a lot more work before we get to a number and how it is applied and all that stuff.”
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost said the cap level “should not be more than around 30 million [dollars] for both drivers” – close to what Mercedes spends on Hamilton alone.
“But once more this is in discussion and it depends then always how much financial resources the different teams have and in which direction we will go,” Tost added.
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Green Flag (@greenflag)
10th May 2021, 17:58
Another F1 website quotes Toto saying that Hamilton will sign a multi-year contract extension with Mercedes. Seems about right. 3 more years should get him to 10 WDCs
isthatglock21
10th May 2021, 19:24
Tbh I fee like if he gets the 8th the goal/desire isn’t as strong to go for 9th+ etc. History would’ve been made & anything extra are just marginal gains. I think he just wants to have fun as he’s physically & mentally as good as he’s ever been, make a tonne more ££, make change inside/outside the sport by staying public figure & just generally enjoys what he does like Kimi. Also for a guy who loves big crowds/his fan base globally, it probably doesn’t feel right going out to empty stands.
Zann (@zann)
11th May 2021, 12:41
Yes 3 years would take him to 40, that’s probably about the limit for wdc level performance, looking at Schumi for example.
With Max, a lot of people don’t seem to realise that a 30-something Lewis would toast a 23-year old Lewis from 2008. More to come! But for now, Mercedes have a driver advantage.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
11th May 2021, 21:54
Except. Max is not a normal 23 year old. He is in his seventh year of F1. So he would be equivalent to a 29 year old Lewis. That would be Lewis in 2014 against Nico Rosberg.
RocketTankski
10th May 2021, 18:09
At this point he may as well go for 15 WDC, 200 race wins. Plus a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Nobel prize.
ian dearing
10th May 2021, 18:09
People who ensure they are not included in any wage cap, quite happy to discuss the benefits of imposing a wage cap on others.
Rodber
10th May 2021, 19:02
Please Toto, surprise us and go for Max. He’ll get you every pole and every win….
Edvaldo
10th May 2021, 21:11
oh yeah, max is the best ever. He’ll get every pole and every win that no other driver could.
Yet he only won as many races as Massa, so we must be missing something here.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
11th May 2021, 3:42
How many seasons with a championship contending car did they have? Massa 2006, 7, 8, verstappen not even 1 yet? This already settles the subject, cause in general, if you have a dominant car you can aim for more than 10 wins a season, if you have a championship contender you can aim for 5-7 (at least back at massa times), if you have a car that can win a few races on pace but can’t compete for title you can aim for 2-3 wins a year and if you have a bit worse car a win here and there some years.
Mayrton
11th May 2021, 9:59
Well, if I was Toto I would definitely arrange a secret test of Max in that car. Just based on Max’ performance vs Gasly, Albon and Perez. That alone is sufficient ground to believe Max might be quite good, something which is only disputed by armchair analysts by the way, there isnt a single team boss that questions Max. RB keep searching for a good nr2 but it is not that illogical to think the car maybe is not that good after all and is flattered by Max. If you take all RB results and timings and take Max out, just look at Albon, Gasly and Perez.. its maybe the third best car out there, not even the second. So if Max flatters the RB all the way up to the level of Hamilton.. I would wanna (/need to) know what Max times are vs Lewis. Probably Toto is the only one in the world that could make that comparison happen.
Simon (@simon999)
10th May 2021, 20:17
Right now, Hamilton can legitimately say he’s the only thing standing in the way of Max dominating this season, which puts him in a strong negotiating position.
Otherwise Merc is left with the prospect of a relatively unproven (but clearly very talented) Russell and a solid #2 driver in Bottas, who isn’t quite on the level needed to compete with the very best. Not the best scenario, especially with the big regulation changes for next season.
I also think Hamilton is excited by the prospect of the new cars, along with the challenge that Max is providing, so it’s no surprise that he wants to keep going for a while longer.
Only Facts!
10th May 2021, 21:13
I have to agree with the first part. Hamilton is the only thing between Verstappen and the title. Bottas is sitting duck, Leclerc and Ricciardo don’t have a car to drive.
Hamilton’s position is much stronger than last year when Russell seemed to be able to do the job just fine. He’s going for Wolff’s throat now.
ColdFly (@)
10th May 2021, 22:23
The second part is what I think as well.
A true sportsman will like it when there is a genuine challenge, even though I’m sure they’ll hate to lose such a challenge.
@simon999
Learon (@learon)
11th May 2021, 11:04
It’s not that simple. If Hamilton wasn’t there, someone else would be: likely George Russell. Russell is a GP3 and a Formula 2 champion and is performing very well in F1. Against him in a Mercedes, Verstappen in his Red Bull would not dominate. Let’s not forget that Max has only ever won karting championships, most of them being only in Belgium. He’s never won any (formula) racing titles; however good he is, others are very good too (Leclerc is another GP3 and Formula 2 champion). There are several outstanding young talents in F1, waiting to have a better car. Max has actually had had a car a lot more competitive than the other two I mentioned and therefore had more wins to his name. Max is great but his car and team are great too.
Tommy Scragend
11th May 2021, 13:34
It’s quite hard to win titles in series you haven’t raced in.
Verstappen only raced one season in cars, at the age of 16, before getting his first F1 drive. He finished third in the European F3 championship, but won more races than any other driver.
Mark Thomson (@melthom)
11th May 2021, 0:16
On to the next 100..
Esploratore (@esploratore)
11th May 2021, 3:47
Given hamilton will likely win this year’s title too, at that point the more he stays the better, I want to see him deal with a challenging season, and possibly a loss, we keep saying mercedes’ dominance has to end sooner or later, are we sure? It’s been 8 years now that mercedes brought the overall best car, with the exception of 2018 where they could be considered even (ferrari got worse after pushing on development following vettel’s spins), and while I’m not blind to the fact red bull made a pretty good car this year, mercedes should have the reliability edge, have the edge in race pace and were only behind in qualifying and they already recovered that too. Only possibility for this year is red bull isn’t ferrari and usually don’t get outdeveloped, they’ve been very competitive in the end of 2018, 2019, 2020, much more than early on in those years.
Rodber
11th May 2021, 9:42
Hamilton talks about liking a challenge. It’s only talk, of course.
A real challenge would be to go to the Red team and achieve there, like Schumacher and Kimi did. They both had to fight for it, and they achieved it.
But no, not Lewis.
Learon (@learon)
11th May 2021, 10:22
He’s already done that when joining Mercedes and helping them build a successful team, just like Michael S did at Ferrari. As for Kimi I am not sure he fits in that category (maybe I do not know enough of the history there).
Rodber
11th May 2021, 10:41
Well, the Kimi of 2005 to 2007 was probably the most exciting driver we’ve seen in many a day, faster than the speed of sound.
Learon (@learon)
11th May 2021, 11:06
Ah, yes, but he didn’t join a struggling team and help build it. Certainly a great driver and personality though.
ian dearing
11th May 2021, 13:07
So Schumacher signed at the end of 95 when Ferrari finished 3rd. Kimi signed at the end of 2006, when Ferrari finished 2nd. Hamilton signed at the end of 2012 when Mercedes finished 5th.
So what is your point again?
Rodber
11th May 2021, 14:05
So, say Lewis went to Ferrari and won his very first race there from pole, like Kimi 2007. Think of the adulation he would receive in Italy alone. Actually if he were ever to manage a title at Ferrari the whole world would see that he is not just the beneficiary of a far too dominant Mercedes, but much much more.
ian dearing
11th May 2021, 21:03
So you dropped the challenge argument then? And Ham has all the adulation he wants from Italy and elsewhere. Just look at the Monza post race pics pre covid. He is in the crowd surrounded by cheering tifosi. They appreciate racing.
But lets stop the nonsense shall we. Within minutes of Ham crossing the finish line in a Ferrari you will be joined by the usual suspects in proclaiming its all the car.
Although I am looking forward to your ‘who is the best, Ham or ?’ debate the next time a driver achieves WDCs in two different teams as a minimum. As Hamilton has.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
11th May 2021, 21:57
The car is not the best this year. It will ebb and flow throughout the season. Lewis has 3 wins. Two of which were “stolen” from RedBull.
Becken Lima
11th May 2021, 5:39
Where you were between 2009 and 2013 when Hamilton was losing right and left, but picking up a pole or win here and there?
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
11th May 2021, 7:53
The cynic in me thinks “rush through the new contract before any salary cap is agreed”.
Learon (@learon)
11th May 2021, 10:23
I thought about that too!!
ian dearing
11th May 2021, 12:55
What difference will that make? He gets paid directly by some of the sponsors, gets paid for designing sponsors clothes and watches, etc. So Hilfiger gives a little less to Merc, and a bit more to Ham. And he has Merc long term contracts out there for not only the diversity and inclusion programmes but as Brand Ambassador or whatever Merc call it now. Like Moss, a Merc ambassador for life.
And it looks certain that F1 will have to give the drivers some space for personal sponsorship. So that will be an expensive bit of real estate for those looking to put their brand there.
The ones who will be hit the hardest are the likes of Leclerc, Max, Nando, etc. The stars of the future.
Dave
11th May 2021, 9:18
Better announce it sooner than your 2021 contract extension.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
11th May 2021, 12:26
So Bottas for two more years also then in all reality.
Gubstar
11th May 2021, 15:21
3 more years with Merc eh. You will be once again handed your 8th title this year with barely any competition. Why not next year go to one of the smaller teams and take your skill, expertise and experience to try and build up one of the struggling teams, like a Williams. I mean how much money does an individual need. And for the sake of the integrity of the sport how good would that be! 8 years of utter dominance will be enough for most of us fans that have been around a long time. And with Merc admitting that from 2014-2016 the engine mode was pretty much on idle, with the engine regs staying the same who is to say that Merc wont dominate the new breed of cars just the same at the current ones. Michael Schumacher had 2 years of dominance (2002 & 2004) Sebastian Vettel also 2 (2011 & 2013)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/24428367
That statement has aged like a fine milk :)
Yes Lewis, yes it has been boring. Lets hope the Red Bull and Max can at least keep you honest this year, but another 3 years might just kill the interest in the sport, especially for the new casual fans the sport is trying to recruit.
ian dearing
11th May 2021, 20:50
Don’t worry, every chance Ferrari will hit the sweet spot next year and LeClerc can challenge Ham without resorting to blaming the car, tyres, weather, team mate, track, whatever.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
11th May 2021, 21:59
He already built up a mid-field team. :-)
BOSS
11th May 2021, 17:01
Mercedes will probably offer Hamilton a 25% equal share in the team too and that would be great, a first in history by God grace