“Not usually complex,” Toto Wolff sheds light on why he is unwilling “to commit to any timeline” on Lewis Hamilton’s contract extension

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton will announce the contract extension once they find the right time.

“Not usually complex,” Toto Wolff sheds light on why he is unwilling “to commit to any timeline” on Lewis Hamilton’s contract extension

Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion has been in Formula one for quite some time. He made his debut in 2007 for McLaren. Hamilton signed a deal with Mercedes for 2013, which makes the upcoming season his 11th year with the team. During his time with Mercedes, he bagged six championships. As their star driver, the team considers him their biggest asset. 

Hamilton maintains a good relationship with his team, especially with the CEO and team principal, Toto Wolff. The duo have grown close over the years. Their ideologies are identical. This helps them develop their relationship and work well together. Keeping all that aside it is time to talk about Hamilton’s contract which they have been putting off for some time now. 

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Hamilton’s contract extension is the most anticipated deal, his existing contract expires at the end of the year. While speaking to PlanetF1 and the others, Wolff said “ I think, as I said before, [with] Lewis we’ve done a few of these contracts in the past. And they [have] changed little from iteration to iteration. So it’s not usually complex, apart from the obvious terms. But no, we’ve had a first chat but I don’t want to commit to any timeline, because it’s not important for him or for us at that stage. It [the contract] runs a full year, and we’re going to try to find the right time.”

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Related: Lewis Hamilton slams F1 competitors by saying Mercedes is ‘not a team that copies’

Sir Lewis Hamilton is planning to stay a bit longer in Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton

Both parties have been discussing about his contract but keeping it on the low. During the recent launch of W14, the duo spoke about this topic. When Hamilton was asked the question of how long he’ll stay in Formula 1, he looked at Wolff blushing and said, “I’m planning to stay a little bit longer”.

Now that it is confirmed there will be a contract extension the question is when will they announce it. Though Hamilton and Wolff are in “talks” as they mention, it is almost as if they have reached some sort of a deal, it won’t be long before they make an announcement. However, the confirmation will put the ardent Mercedes fan’s hearts at ease.

The 2022 season was the first time in 15 years Lewis Hamilton had gone without a win. This shows the driver’s consistency and explains why the team would want him to stay longer. Facing reality a piece of distressing news for the fans is that this might as well be Hamilton’s last contract extension, but we never know how things pan out. 

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