Hamilton speculations now run wild on his new Mercedes deal
Jan.15 - Mercedes is not commenting on reports about the status of Lewis Hamilton's reportedly difficult negotiations over a new contract.
Some believe the parties are arguing essentially over money, while Autosprint's Alessandro Gargantini believes Mercedes is only putting a one-year deal worth EUR 35 million on the table.
One of the sticking points could be the future of George Russell, who impressed at the wheel of Hamilton's car in Bahrain when the seven time world champion had covid-19.
"It would not surprise us if Hamilton wants to play an active role in the choice of the second driver after 2021," Gargantini wrote.
According to the Italian magazine, Russell's surprise performance in Bahrain may have thrown a major spanner in the works when it came to Hamilton's future.
"Russell, unlike Valtteri Bottas, showed in the junior classes that he can win impressively easily and frequently. His performance will not have gone unnoticed by those at the top at Mercedes," Gargantini added.
He also speculates that if Hamilton were to leave after 2021, Mercedes could enter the 2022 world championship with the spectacular lineup of Russell alongside Max Verstappen.
Gargantini said Dr Helmut Marko may be anticipating that, which is why Red Bull elected to replace the struggling Alex Albon with the highly experienced and consistent Sergio Perez.
As for the Hamilton contract reports, a Mercedes spokesperson insisted: "We do not comment on speculation and rumours."
Luigi Perna, a highly respected writer for La Gazzetta dello Sport, commented: "The negotiations between Hamilton and Mercedes over the renewal of his contract which expired two weeks ago has become a game of chess."
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Its all a bunch of refried cow pies. Hamilton is a driver, a good driver but a driver. An employee who now believes he should own part of his employers company. His employer compensates him extremely well for being an outstanding driver. Lets remember that his job description is to negotiate a track with a car. Included in that is being responsible for maintaining an acceptable relationship with his fans. but that is being hampered by his ego and self centered attitude
Hamilton is a top driver but as George Russel proved with the right car most of the top drivers could win. Mercedes don’t need him.
Mercedes should put Russell in the car. They don't need Hamilton. Hamilton is scared of Russell being in the car becaise it will show he is not as good as he thinks he ia.
Russell proved that although Hamilton is one of the best drivers in F1, without his Mercedes, he could be in Ricardo’s, Vertappen’s place. Great driver with a 2nd rate car. Hamilton needs to remember that F1 is a TEAM sport, and without the car and team, you cannot be a champion.
AMEN!!!!!
im say no to Verstappen driving Mercedes as he is not the person to drive a quality car as Mercedes as i own 3 Mercedes now if he goes to Mercedes i would never buy another
I also own 3 Mercedes but because MB buckled to Hamilton and changed the Silver Arrows to black after so many great drivers of the past famously driving the Silver Arrows, I am disgusted by Mercedes and will not buy another one while they are black. I find this very disrespectful to the MB history in racing, and to the great drivers of the past
If Mercedes replaced Bottas and Hamilton, they would still win. We will never know the true skills of F1 drivers until they have driven different cars and have still been successful. As for ownership, I have changed from German cars to British (Jaguars) Best choice I ever made.
Merc should just tell Hamilton to F### OFF They don't need him nor does F1 There are plenty of other quality drivers out there.
its funny is you go onto a bbc hys page about hammy, its overwhelmingly 95% hamster lovers, but as we know f1 is worldwide, and id say is a worldwide survey was done LH wouldnt come out of it to well..... for all the already mentioned reasons, and ill add to that , his days are numbered, he knows it , ,Merc know it and even toto knows it, my guess and ive said it before is a one year deal and hes history,hes like british f1 heroes before him , get to big for your boots and your history, mansell, hill , same happened to them but heh, who knows.... like everyone else opinion on here , its just....... an opinion ( but the for me main reason is the world, the economy, his blm rants even covid its ALL bad timing for his last mega deal, ofcourse i could be wrong, but like secretly i think many f1 fans , i dont think wed be too unhappy if LH was gone......
HAM won't risk to go in 2022 with new rules and new cars because if Merc is not so dominant it will expose him. The fact he is not near to be the goat will be clear...
Yes, just speculation. We do not know what is happening. But Hamilton should not be able to influence the selection of the second driver. Bottas has weaknesses that Russell may be able to beat. Russell is a Mercedes driver. They are crazy if they do not let him drive in 2022.
So Esteban Ocon and Russel for 2022 then.. perhaps...
Love to see George and Lewis driving MB next year (with silver paint) and see how that works out. Max and Checo will test them, as well as Danny Ric. Then we will start to se who is best...
Wouldn’t F1 be exciting to watch then?
Great string of posts. real fans writing about RACING and no veering into politics and social issues (except for shroppyfly who just couldn't resist :-) ). HAM has tarnished his worldwide reputation and his ALLEGED contract demands are ridiculous. RUS is unavailable for 2021, but how about HUL in a one year contract?
'Russell's surprise performance in Bahrain may have thrown a major spanner in the works when it came to Hamilton's future."
Any of the top 6 or 7 drivers in F1 could front row and win in a merc. hamiton is a political liablity because of his politics and needs to be replaced.