Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has provided an update on a new contract for Lewis Hamilton. As it stands, the seven-time world champion has a contract with the Brackley-based team until the end of next season.
He is likely to extend his contract with the Silver Arrows beyond next year, which would likely see him remain in F1 beyond his 40th birthday. Wolff remains “absolutely” confident the motorsport legend will pen a new deal. Speaking on F1’s ‘Beyond the Grid’ podcast, Wolff revealed that Hamilton’s new contract is a top priority over the winter.
“Well the job list is pretty long with what needs to be done,” the Austrian said. “But certainly Lewis’ contract is one of the topics that we will tackle over the winter. There is no firm deadline. Absolutely. Lewis is part of the team and the team is part of Lewis. No reason to not continue.”
In an interview with The New York Times last week, the Brit opened up on his desire to stay in F1. “It’s not forever but something inside is telling me: ‘you’re not done yet, you’ve got to keep pushing. You’ve got more to do, more to achieve'", he said. “It’s going to be hard one day, stopping racing. I’ve done it for 30 years and it will be 30-plus years when I do eventually stop.
"Luckily for me, right this second, it’s not now. My dad and my brother, they’re like, ‘Yeah, keep racing forever,’ because they are racers. For my mum and my sister? I can definitely sense they want me to do whatever I want to do. They can also see how tiring it is, that it weighs heavy on you. Sometimes when I go around to my sister’s house I just pass out on the couch!”
He added: “There’s no doubt that I love what I do,” he said. “I really do love the challenge every weekend, how we, as a team, show up every weekend. There’s a reason why I have as much energy as I do, that I’m still able to train with the intensity that I do and have the dedication that I do.
“At some stage, I will want to have a family and that will be my full focus, but right now, being in Formula 1 with Mercedes is it.” Last month Hamilton revealed his emotional reaction to team-mate George Russell's first F1 win. The 24-year-old won the Brazil GP to secure Mercedes' first win of the season, while Hamilton finished second.
It was a big moment for the Silver Arrows after a season of struggle and Russell was overcome with emotion after his achievement. And Hamilton revealed his happiness at seeing his team celebrate their achievement. He told Channel 4 : "I saw a video of my team when we got to Dubai [for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix].
"Just seeing everyone celebrating all together was quite an emotional thing, knowing how hard everyone had worked through the year. Also knowing how difficult it would have been for them, knowing how hard they would have worked last winter and they were not rewarded for all the hard work they had put in necessarily.
"The whole season, not giving up and continuing to keep the faith, keep the hopes high and get a one-two was a very proud moment for me and the whole team."
