Wolff's Bold Claim: Hamilton's F1 Career Could Extend Beyond Four Years
Jul.8 - Both Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton agree that the seven time world champion should be in Formula 1 for "years" to come.
The pair are still locked in protracted negotiations over Hamilton's 2024 contract, but Mercedes boss Wolff denies that they are still at loggerheads over the duration of a new deal or the money involved.
And Wolff thinks Hamilton, 38, is still good enough to at least match the longevity of the almost-42-year-old Fernando Alonso, who remains in top form.
"You can see with Alonso that I think Lewis has at least four more years in him," Wolff said at Silverstone.
Hamilton agreed: "Yes, Toto said everything correctly. I feel like I still have at least five more years in me, so we'll see."
When Wolff was asked about Hamilton's prediction, he added: "So it's not far from what Lewis said.
"And I can say that without a doubt that he can do and, obviously, with Mercedes.
"In this day and age, high-performing athletes have found ways to prolong their careers by leading disciplined lives and doing the right thing," Wolff said.
Hamilton also denies that his complaints on the radio in Austria, which were publicly rebuked by Wolff, indicates that a rift now exists between the pair.
"The best thing about our partnership is that we can be direct with each other," said the British driver.
"Toto is just an out-and-out racer, so he was just trying to encourage me. That was his way of doing it and we always learn from our experiences."
However, Hamilton also earned a rebuke from one of his former bosses, ex-Mercedes engine boss Norbert Haug, for suggesting that Red Bull should be banned from starting work on their 2024 car until August.
"In my view, if there's one driver in the current field who shouldn't demand something like this is Lewis Hamilton," Haug told the German portal Sportbuzzer.
"Anyone who blew away all opponents year in, year out, also thanks to a superior engine and car and the best team performance according to all the rules of the art, should not start such an inappropriate discussion," he added.
He said the best football analogy to describe Hamilton's outburst was that the record-holding winner of 103 grands prix had scored a "classic own goal".
"It doesn't need to be checked by video either," Haug laughed.
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
Hope not
Entitled bumhole
Good grief, please spare us. Retirement at the end of this season, please. Lord, hear our prayers!
Where is Nicoooooooo when you need him , so seriously wheres Rosberg this weekend?
You should head over to Sportbible.com to capture the fullness of Mercedes disgust with Dame Lucille.
She's demanding a 5-year driving contract and a 10-year follow-on contract to be Mercedes Benz' corporate "Ambassador at 20,000,000 Pounds a year!
How do we spell HUBRIS?
I'm guessing the mucky-mucks at MB Corporate Headquaters back in the Fatherland are going to run-out the 2023 season, and send the entitled plick down-the-road.
As Gene Wilder shouts-out during his nightmare:
Destiny
Destiny
No escaping
Thats for me!
I truly hope so - end this nightmare for us all. Lord, Hear our prayer.
Hopefully, sanity will prevail, and he will be gone at the end of this year. He can retire with his billions!
Oh, and he can buy his half-wit father another Porsche to wreck!
Well, Dame Lorraine's present contract has a clause in there that is very similar to Nick DeVries' contract. It will have sufficiently vague language that allows Mercedes Benz management to simply kick her sorry ass to the curb for example, when her hubris becomes even more of a liability than it already is.
So, if Daniel Ricciardo can gracefully parachute into Nick's still warm seat, I'm certain Mick Schumacher can do the same with Lucky-Lucy's.
✅ Checkout the latest 50 F1 Fans comments.