Mercedes boss Toto Wolff offered a fresh update on contract talks with Lewis Hamilton, claiming it is a matter of days before it’s finalized, even before this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion said over the weekend of the Spanish Grand Prix that he would be meeting with Wolff the Monday after the race to discuss his contract with Mercedes.
Nothing has been announced yet, but Wolff speaking in an interview with CNBC‘s Squawk on the Street on Monday revealed a new Hamilton contract is a mere days away.
“It is going to happen soon, and we are talking more days than weeks,” he said. “We are trying hard [to get it done before the Canadian Grand Prix]. I will see him today and maybe we will talk about it.
“We have such a good relationship that we dread the moment that we need to talk about money,” the Mercedes boss pointed out.
Hamilton has been powered by Mercedes throughout his F1 career that started with McLaren in 2007. He has been part of the Mercedes F1 project since 2013, when he replaced Michael Schumacher who retired for the second time. Since then, the Briton has won six F1 Drivers’ Titles with the team, who have dominated the sport since the start of the Turbo-Hybrid era in 2014, until Max Verstappen took over in 2021 when he beat Hamilton for the Title.
Wolff was full of praise for Hamilton; he said: “Lewis is the most important personality in the sport. He is so multi-faceted, not only with the racing, but also off track, so we need to keep him in the sport for as long as possible.
“From a team’s perspective, Lewis and Mercedes have gone back a long time. He has never raced for any other brand than Mercedes,” he added.
“We both joined the team in 2013 together, and from a professional relationship, we now have a friendship. It has been a wonderful time,” Wolff concluded.
The upcoming Canadian Grand Prix this weekend will be Hamilton’s 208th with Mercedes.