Lewis Hamilton has run out of options should he want to leave Mercedes, according to Guenther Steiner.
The Haas team principal believes the 38-year-old is too late in his career to begin a fresh long-term project, with the Mercs’ more immediate at the front of the F1 grid disinterested in signing him.
Steiner told PA: “Lewis will stay at Mercedes until the end of his career. What other opportunities are out there for him? Think about that one. What other options are around? I don't think he has many.
“He is at a stage where he is so close [to the end] that doing anything different and getting used to something else would not be very positive for him.
“He is not happy this year because he hasn't won a race. But he has had a lot of good years with Mercedes so he needs to stick with the people who made him.”
Hamilton, who finished on the podium in Melbourne earlier this month, has been publicly reassured by team boss Toto Wolff that upgrades are on their way.
“In terms of car development, it is encouraging to see that within three races, we understand the car much better, we have defined a clear direction where we need to go and I believe we are on the right trajectory,” he told the team website ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“We need to consolidate our understanding and hopefully over the next few races we can make another step.
“There will be setbacks but there will also be upgrades and plenty of work that will help us get closer to the front.”
