The rumours surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s contract extension with Mercedes had been intensifying over the last few days but nobody expected an announcement to be made so soon.
Everything pointed to this season’s British GP as the most likely place and time to break one of the most important and awaited news in Formula One. It wasn’t to be. The German squad made the official announcement this Saturday morning at the Austrian GP.
The seven-time F1 champion has signed a two year contract extension which means the seven-time-champion will be racing for Mercedes at least until the end of the 2023 season. The news has put an end to the endless speculations about the state of their negotiations.
Team Principal, Toto Wolff, had in fact mentioned a few days ago that he was hoping to avoid a period of long renewal discussions like the one they had ahead of the 2021 season, when they only managed to reach an agreement with a few weeks left before the start of the championship.
This is the second deal that the two parties have signed in the last six months, their current agreement and the one announced today.
The truth is that the British driver had no chance of signing for another of the leading teams. Ferrari has its two seats tied up for the next few season and everything indicates that Checo Pérez will continue with Red Bull in 2022, so there is no other place available for someone of Hamilton’s stature.
Historical duo
This new agreement between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes means the most successful partnership in Formula One history will enter the new era of the sport hand in hand. The coming into force next season of a new and revolutionary pack of regulations is expected to pose an extraordinary challenge for the teams and it could potentially shuffle the current hierarchy.
Lewis Hamilton, who was 36 in January, will be 38 when his new contract expires. It is therefore reasonable to assume that he will be retiring from the sport with the Silver Arrows, the team where he has win six of the seven titles of his eleven-season Formula One career.
It remains to be seen who will be Lewis Hamilton’s teammate over the next years. Currently the two more likely candidates are Valtter Bottas, in Mercedes since 2017, and Willims’ George Russell, a protégé of the German team and F1 promise.
Lewis Hamilton thanks Mercedes for its trust & help
“It is hard to believe it’s been nearly nine years working with this incredible team and I’m excited we’re going to continue our partnership for two more years,” said LewisHamilton.
We’ve accomplished so much together but we still have a lot to achieve, both on and off the track. I’m incredibly proud and grateful of how Mercedes has supported me in my drive to improve diversity and equality in our sport. They have held themselves accountable and made important strides in creating a more diverse team and inclusive environment.
“Thank you to all the dedicated and talented individuals at Mercedes whose hard work makes it all possible and the Board for their continued trust in me. We’re entering a new era of car which will be challenging and exciting and I can’t wait to see what else we can achieve together,” finished the Briton ace.
Mercedes, very happy
Toto Wolff, Mercedes´ team principal explained about the contract extensio of Lewis Hamilton: “As we enter a new era of F1 from 2022 onwards, there can be no better driver to have in our team than Lewis.
“His achievements in this sport speak for themselves, and with his experience, speed and race craft, he is at the peak of his powers. We are relishing the battle we have on our hands this year – and that’s why we also wanted to agree this contract early, so we have no distractions from the competition on track.
“I have always said that as long as Lewis still possesses the fire for racing, he can continue as long as he wants,”, concluded the Austrian boss.
“This is fantastic news for Formula 1 and I am delighted that Lewis will stay in Formula 1 for at least another two years,” added F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“What he has achieved in this sport is incredible and I know he has more to come. He is a global superstar on and off the race track and his positive impact on Formula 1 is huge.”
Images of Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes F1
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