Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes REFUSED to give Lewis Hamilton a long-term contract in 2023 because of Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton's big demands during contract negotiations in 2023 were reportedly rejected by Mercedes.

Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes REFUSED to give Lewis Hamilton a long-term contract in 2023 because of Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen, Toto Wolff (In circle) and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes in August 2023. The seven-times champion had to sign a one-plus-one deal with the team, despite wanting a multi-year contract. This played a significant role in Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari in 2025 in a multi-year deal. Now Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has revealed the true reason why the Englishman wasn’t given a contract he desired.

Wolf admitted that the reason for giving Hamilton the short contract was because of a disappointing past they had with reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen. In 2014, Mercedes had the opportunity to sign Verstappen, but couldn’t do so since they didn’t have an F1 seat available. Verstappen joined Red Bull and the rest is history.

YouTube video

Mercedes now has a racing prodigy under contract, who is expected to be the next Verstappen. Italian youngster Kimi Antonelli, who is set to make his F2 debut in 2024 was rated so high by Mercedes that they decided to overlook Hamilton’s demands to make sure Antonelli will have an F1 seat if he is ready to join an F1 within the next two years. They didn’t want to miss out on the next big thing of the sport in favor of Hamilton who is in the last years of his career.

There was a situation many years ago where we had the opportunity to let Max drive, and that wasn't possible back then because we simply didn't have a cockpit. [Nico] Rosberg and Hamilton were tied to us long-term, and Red Bull naturally seized the opportunity. They gave him a contract with Toro Rosso, with the possibility of driving for Red Bull the following year.  We then lost the young driver, and you can see how successful he has become. And precisely because we have a junior on the horizon who is really driving at a very high level, I simply wanted to keep this option open.
Toto Wolff said: autosport.com

Lewis Hamilton plans to end his Formula One winless streak in his last year with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton anticipates winning one more championship before leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. This season’s conclusion will mark the end of the F1 driver’s long-term partnership with Mercedes. Before joining Ferrari, Hamilton had 24 races left with Mercedes and wanted to go out on a high note.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO). Hamilton driving Mercedes W15 (In circle)

Seven-time world champion Hamilton is currently experiencing his longest winless streak in Formula One history, which began with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021. Before joining Ferrari, he hopes the W15 will perform well enough to keep him in the top spot.

The F1 pundits predict Lewis will win this year, and believe Mercedes will suffer greatly from going without a win for such a long time. Although Hamilton’s dynamics may be slightly different, F1 analysts believe the team will be able to move past it if they can settle into a routine and get through the first qualifying and race.

In case you missed it: