August has been pencilled in as time for Lewis Hamilton to sign a Mercedes contract extension, meanwhile, his boss Toto Wolff wants more than a one-year deal and believes the seven-time Formula 1 World Champions could race into his 40s without a problem.
Hamilton, 36, has yet to ink a new deal but has indicated strongly that he intends to stay around, confirmation of that his keen interest in helping develop Pirelli’s 18-inch tyres for 2022; a signal of intent from a driver who admits he is not fond of testing.
Mercedes, of course, are keen to hang on to their prized asset but are keen on more than a 12-month extension according to Wolff.
The team boss was asked by media during the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix weekend if he wanted a multi-year deal with Hamilton, the Mercedes team principal replied: “Yes, it should be.
“We don’t want to be in a stressful situation every single year where we are absolutely flat-out trying to win races and needing to negotiate. I would rather that doesn’t happen every year.
“We just need to spend a day or two together, put it out there, and decide which are the difficult components. We will then lock the door and won’t walk out until it is sorted. That works best for us and it has worked best for us in the past.”
Hamilton, who is two victories away from a century in F1 and currently in a tough battle with heir apparent Max Verstappen, continues to get better according to his rivals and appears to have stepped to another level as the challenge ramps up like seldom before.
As for longevity in the top flight, Wolff was asked if he saw Hamilton racing into his forties, Wolff affirmed: “Yes, absolutely. I have no doubt about that. He is so disciplined that in a way it is inspiring.
“As long as Lewis continues to look after himself mentally and physically, continues to develop cognitively, then he can go on for much longer,” added Wolff.
With Hamilton likely to put pen to paper before the summer break, the question of his teammate will come into play, with Valtteri Bottas under fire from British media who are lobbying Mercedes relentlessly to replace the Finn with George Russell.
While Hamilton has often said he cares not who is in the car beside him, he will be well advised to convince Mercedes not to break up the most successful team in the sport’s history unnecessarily.
There is currently a balance between Hamilton and Bottas, an acceptance of roles and the resultant harmony delivering unprecedented results, oust the Finn and place Russell will destabilise the team and only pacify the vocal English media and give them the fodder of Lewis vs George.
One imagines that who drives the other car will feature top of talks between Wolff and Hamilton when they next sit down to discuss the future of Mercedes in F1.