Jul.26 - Lewis Hamilton appears to be on track to sign a two-year contract extension with Mercedes.

In Hungary, team boss Toto Wolff revealed that while a signature is still lacking, the pair have "emotionally" completed their contract negotiations.

"Can someone tell me what it means when a contract is emotionally done?" Hamilton's former teammate Nico Rosberg said.

"I have no idea why Lewis is taking so much time."

After an 18-month drought, seven time world champion Hamilton returned to pole position in Hungary last Saturday.

On this point, Rosberg has admiration for the 38-year-old Briton.

"I've seen these magical moments up close for years, and his lap in qualifying was one of those moments.

"That was no longer driving a racing car, it was more of an art."

Another former F1 driver and pundit, however, used the same analogy for Hamilton's subsequent performance collapse in the race.

"Finishing fourth from pole position is almost an art," Marc Surer wrote in a column on motorsport-total.com.

Hamilton admits that he hasn't been "in top form" for "more than a year" - qualifying in Hungary aside.

"We're still a long way from beating Red Bull in the race and it seems like we're behind the McLarens too," he said.

On that point, Wolff doesn't agree.

"The only thing that was good today," he said last Sunday, "was George (Russell)'s driving.

"We'll have to look at everything else. We lost a podium and maybe even two."

Wolff added: "The strategy was good. We had the second fastest car - only Max Verstappen was faster," he told Sky Deutschland. "We didn't use the potential we had."

Martin Brundle, the highly experienced commentator for British Sky television, said Hamilton's fellow Briton Lando Norris passing him in Hungary was like "the handing over of the baton" regarding British drivers in F1.

Norris said after finishing second in Hungary: "I know Lewis complains a lot about how amazing our car is and how bad theirs is, but they don't have a bad car. And they haven't had a bad car all season."

"Yesterday," the McLaren driver added, "Lewis complained about how tough it is finishing outside first position. Try racing in 19th and 20th!

"He's never done that in his life," Norris insisted. "That's the only thing Lewis hasn't done that in Formula 1."

Hamilton said last week that he no longer cares what position he finishes in 2023.

"I keep repeating to the team that we need to go in the direction of Red Bull," he told DAZN. "Generally we have more rear wing than the rest.

"It seems that they have more downforce on their floor. I don't care if it's with this year's car or the next one, we need to go in that direction."

Finally, one of Sky Deutschland's young reporters - Phoenix - apparently had Wolff whisper in his ear in Hungary that Hamilton is extending his deal for two more years - 2024 and 2025.

"It's already quite clear that Hamilton will drive for Mercedes next year," Bild newspaper added. "It just needs to be formally sealed."


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13 F1 Fan comments on “Hamilton's Artistic Pole Lap Revives Contract Talks: What's Emotional Negotiation?

  1. shroppyfly

    Fast forward 12mths, and Mb and Lewis are in the same position they are now, Hamilton said last week that he no longer cares what position he finishes in 2023.
    Is he going to say the same thing again? The 2yr contract will be a 1+1 its a well see how you get on next year, giving them , and him options, if he isnt going to "Nico" at the end of the year , this if true, as i've said before was always going to be the deal, a 1 yr deal no one would sign, a 3 yr deal no one would offer, so your left with a no deal or a 1+1 deal

    Finally is Torger the sorta bloke whoyd whisper things into a young mans ear?

  2. ReallyOldRacer

    "Artistic pole lap"?????

    VER & NOR were within thousandths. Not tenths, not hundredths.....thousandths of a second. Too close to judge with the naked eye. So, now we're dealing with artists? Gee, silly me thought that they are racing drivers.

  3. Tommy

    Max missed the hat trick by .003 of a sec in qualifying along with leading all 70 laps of the GP, yet hammy walked on water because he grabbed pole. Oh yea he's an artist all right!

  4. CanadianEh

    My gawd - this is going beyond ridiculous - Dame Lucille posting an "artistic pole lap"?

    FFS. What's next - the transcendent smell of her farts?

    I'm just sick-to-death of the left-wing media creating and controlling the broad spectrum of nauseating narratives which they think we should be concerned with - and gratefully so.

    I predict that Mercedes Benz is going to pull a "Nico" on Lulu and the end of the 2023 season. It's a much needed and grossly over-due dose of Karma for the Mewling Knight.

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  5. shroppyfly

    My application for all variants using "Nico" are presently being assessed with the Trade mark office in the USA and for the UK nearing approval under the trade marks act 1994

    I shall in future be charging a fee to use "Nico"

    You have been warned

    • ReallyOldRacer

      I am claiming equal ownership of the trademark. I have documented evidence from 2021 that I own a share of the term, Nico, used as a verb or a verb derivative. If you disagree, contact my attorney, Helmut Marko LLB.

  6. Susan

    Dame Louise had to have written this. Nobody with a brain to rub together would describe his pole lap artistic. It was pure luck. Where was this artistic talent at the start of the race? A rookie bested him. His genius kept him in 4th through the entire race. Pleeze Louise don’t take the offer and ride off into the sunset singing “Happy Trails”.

    • CanadianEh

      A diamond glinting in his left incisor, sporting a big sobrerro, chaps, spurs ringing as she's strums a sequined guitar. The Palomino pods off over the dusty hill as the Sun slowly sets to her dulcet tones.

  7. Ian

    Relax people. They just writing stuff like this to get youse all worked up.
    Close your eyes, breath deeply and say to yourself - I have a life

    • shroppyfly

      Erm, Umm that's a bit personal and probably something that i don't want to get into, but let me bullshit a bit more for you as I have to be here

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      • Ian

        I could join in and criticise Lewis - I see his faults, but try to imagine myself in his moccasins.

        And it's the personal nature of the criticism that he cops here that I find tedious.

        Besides, batting for Lewis on here is a kind of sport :-)

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