Wolff says new Hamilton deal for three seasons unlikely
Jan.29 - Toto Wolff has admitted that a new three-year contract is unlikely for Lewis Hamilton.
With the new season looming, it is now highly conspicuous that seven time world championship Hamilton is yet to sign a new deal for 2021.
"We're not far away," Mercedes team boss Wolff told the German broadcasters RTL and n-tv.
When asked what 'not far away' really means, he answered: "Soon is a flexible term. Soon."
Earlier, he had said the final deadline was pre-season testing in Bahrain, set to take place in March just before the first race of the season at the same Sakhir circuit.
"We know the deadline is the day we travel to Bahrain, but by then we will have everything done," said Wolff.
However, he played down the likelihood that Hamilton or Mercedes will agree to a full three-year term.
"I don't think so," said the Austrian. "We are discussing what the correct duration is so we have to keep our eyes open.
"Lewis is incredibly important, not only for our team but also the Mercedes brand. It's also a friendship. But the landscape is currently changing," Wolff explained.
He said the new rules for 2022 and the incoming budget cap are both "factors that naturally play a role in our discussions".
"We have a huge regulatory change next year, and the cost cap which of course as a big team affects us. And then it goes into the details.
"But we don't want to be put under pressure either," Wolff added. "It has to be a sensible agreement, and we are not far from that."
He denied that George Russell is being used as a bargaining chip in his talks with Hamilton.
"It is important to emphasise that," said Wolff. "We have too strong a relationship for that. It's just about making the best decision for Lewis and for the team.
"George Russell will play a role in our future lineup. He just has to have a little trust and patience. Today we are concentrating on our drivers Valtteri and Lewis, and for the future we will see."
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How long must we play this game? Either sign or move on.
Hamilton must like having the off season spotlight on him. But Bottas needs to be replaced by George Russell for 2022. If Hamilton does not like the new regs and cars that year, he can retire as the record holder and spend his time on fashion(??), vegan restaurants, and posing for pics.
Ah but Hammo wont let them replace Bottas with a top talent, no Russell (nott top talent but see what HE can do in that car) or Riciardo, or ver Stapen.
Sir Hamilton is properly negotiating what, for all intents and purposes, is his final F1 contract. I applaud him for his diligence and perseverance. The man is "top shelf" and should demand his entitlement. His body of work speaks volumes and he will undoubtedly go down in the annals of F1 motor sports history as the G.O.A.T. 🐐
Yes his choice to race for Mercedes is the greatest (decision) of all time (GOAT), in motorsport history.
For the rest he is a childish, petulant, virtue signalling, twat who lent his seat to a guy with NO GP points who could have won his only race twice, except for circumstance.
I think you are right this will be his finale season he has an e team which he will want to concentrate on he has nothing left to prove in F1.
Dump Hamilton and make a lot of Fans happy. See how Bottas does in 2021, then decide to keep him or start all new in 2022. I will probably be disparaged for these comments but really, Wolff can put George Russell and any of the other fine Racers in the Mercedes and win. Call me selfish but when I watch Formula 1 Racing that is what I want to see and hear about. I can watch Politics on CNN the rest of the week.
Agree the guy is a twat. He fought sooooo hard to keep Danny Ric out of Mercedes as he knew he was toast. He only picks 97% teammates. At least if he had a top contender we would get some saucy racing.
Toto should let him have a 1-year contract at most then kick him out and get some proper new talent on board we are all sick of hearing about Hamilton and his other agendas
You and plenty of others who evidently don't believe others should have an opinion contrary to yours, make be sick. It certainly isn't ”We are all...”. Personally I am not bothered. I simply watch the race.
Maybe you and others who despise winners and does who have beliefs and opinions contrary to yours are "sick." The dude has plenty of fans who like him. Your "We all are sick" remark is therefore utter jealousy? hate? fuelled nonsense.
Personally I couldn't give a fig about the dude's personal beliefs as long as they are legal and do not interfere with racing.
Personally, I simply watch the races and tune out anything irrelevant.
The absurdity of some of the comments here is so extreme they make the idiocy on "America's Dumbest Criminals" frankly Einsteinian.
Here is some food for thought for you jealous, bilious, logic-lack peddlers of hate
1. Lewis has a right to request ANYTHING he considers worthy in his contract negotiations (same as you do to to post any gibberish). It's up to Mercedes to deem how reasonable or utterly outlandish these are and either agree to them or have a good chuckle and lob them in a bin.
2. Lewis doesn't select his team mates, his employers do. Only 3 team mates have joined him in a team. Firs, Kovalainen in only his second year so do you seriously really think he had a say? Second Jenson, a World Champion - enough said. Thirdly, Valtteri, who had just had a fine year with Williams and many predicted would outperform Lewis. His other team mates Fernando and Nico, whom he joined, he either matched or outperform during their stint
3. Mercedes are not as dumb as you geniuses presume them to be. They have top car designer, top aerodynamics engineers, top software designers a yet brainless management???). They obliviously know the value Lewis brings - championships, sponsors, worldwide visibility, massive fan base and yes, plenty of hate-filled detractors providing even more visibility
4. The dude has his beliefs and opinons (all of you do). Unlike other former World Champions and other racers hasn't
(a) Assaulted a fellow racer
(b) Deliberately run into another car
(c) Told the Race Director to f off
(d) Continuously insult and disrespect his team calling their engine GP2, etc
(e) Parked his fault-free car on the circuit during a qualifying sesson
(e) Had an "incident" when on provisional pole in quali-3 to stop the session
(f) Call fellow racers disparaging names when they hinder his progress on track with questionable moves
5. Russell just had 1 race in the car and apparently he is the best thing since sliced bread. Note Valtteri did not win nor place 2nd so likely was simply having a bad race. Oh Valtteri out-qualified George so the former is not so hopeless.
6. Most of you want to have Lewis replaced by George? If you lot are so enamored with the lad and believe it's all about the car, WHY would you who fawn over George want him to inherit this supposed poisoned chalice of a position where he would likely be vilified in the future???
me thinks the lady doth protest to much....................
Yup, as with:
"Much ado about nothing"
by many irrelevant Internet posters about some dude who drives a car, contract negotiations???
Actually it's: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks"
someone's in a bromance..........
definitely not, but sarcasm is something the brits do extremely well.....
Daimler may not want a 3 year deal if they plan to sell out to Ineos (or someone else)...
This whole Lewis vs Mercedes thing is very simple actually…
1-Lewis is, by all standards, a very good F1 driver, but others also have the potential to give him a good run for his money.
2-For years now Mercedes had the best cars, so Lewis won a lot. From where I sit, Valteri was rarely allowed to race Lewis, but most welcome to come in second. None of that really competitive Lewis/Nico stuff!
3-In any formula one race a team can’t do much better that winning and second place. That has been Mercedes’ lot for a while now and Merc can only intend to continue with this winning alignment.
4-New rules are set to come in and, just like anybody else, so is Lewis’ day of reckoning. From all appearances, it looks like Merc doubts that Lewis can retain his mightiest of all status for long; if Merc was convinced otherwise it would agree to sign him up for three years is a heartbeat.
5-Meanwhile, Lewis’ helmet does not seem to fit anymore and he would like that he’s king of the world. It’s clear to me that if Lewis could do better with another team he would play that card, but he can’t: he already has a deal made in heaven.
6-Nobody, and especially Lewis, cares about fans and what they might think here. This is about business and money and all the posturing that comes with it.
It’s time for Mercedes to make its FINAL OFFER and for Lewis to MAKE A DECISION.
You omitted to mention Lewis's appeal to the strongly British: industry, commentary team and the importance of the English market to the Mercedes brand.
Also he is one of the few non lily white drivers, so to shitcan him would be very UN PC right now.
For me your most important point is this:
"From all appearances, it looks like Merc doubts that Lewis can retain his mightiest of all status for long"
I agree 100% with that.
I don't rate Lewis up with the very best, just an exceptional driver who was in the right team at the right time. Unfortunately he has insisted on second rate team mates (yes I know like Schumacher etc did as well), and now Mercedes might find themselves in a talent dry patch.
Apart from that your post gets two thumbs up from me. Time to piss or get off the pot.
This is all about George Russell's performance. I also think Lewis doesn't care if he drives or not. There is nothing more to prove for him so he's going for broke. I would not be surprised if he does not sign.
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