Speculation regarding Mercedes superstar Lewis Hamilton’s contract at Mercedes has been the talk at the F1 paddock for a while now, with Ferrari throwing their name in the mix with an offer to Lewis.
While recent reports claim that the contract is done and dusted, there is no official confirmation on the same yet. Recently, former F1 driver David Coulthard has weighed in with his take on the whole situation.
David Coulthard points out challenges in Lewis Hamilton Mercedes contract talks
The F1 social media community has recently seen a fresh round of speculation on Lewis Hamilton’s future at Mercedes. While some have tied him to Ferrari, more recent reports speak of the contract being all but signed.
One such advocate for the latter point of view is F1 presenter and former Red Bull driver David Coulthard, who claims that the contract extension with Mercedes is not a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when.”
David Coulthard diz que “A Mercedes vai querer um certo tempo de Lewis para seus patrocinadores.”
🎙️ | “A Mercedes vendeu patrocínio com acesso aos seus pilotos. Muitas dessas empresas se tornaram parceiras da Mercedes porque Lewis está lá, não por causa de George Russell.” pic.twitter.com/0g03c7k8jk
— Mercedes-AMG F1 Brasil 🇧🇷 (@MercedesAMGF1BR) August 20, 2023
Speaking to Irish News, he says, “I don’t think there is any realistic chance that Lewis will leave Mercedes unless there is a major fallout. Who would the major fallout be with? Even if it was with Toto, Lewis’ relationship with Mercedes’ parent company Daimler is much longer than Toto’s emergence as team principal of Mercedes.”
He explains that it is more likely that the hold-up is due to more technical reasons like sponsorships, image rights and other commitments. On this he said, ““Some businesses will have signed up with the Silver Arrows because Lewis is there, rather than George Russell. Perhaps Lewis might be wanting to do fewer days or have fewer commitments?”
However, Coulthard is not the only personality looking to express his opinion on this matter.
F1 Correspondent reveals Lewis Hamilton also delayed his previous contract signing
Almost as if on cue to agree with Coulthard, F1 correspondent Lawrence Baretto recently released a statement explaining that as per his analysis, a contract extension is “imminent.”
To support his theory, he points out how contracts between Hamilton and Mercedes have a history of being left until the last minute: “Hamilton has left it late to sign a new deal in the past. It wasn’t until the eve of pre-season in 2021 that he inked a one-year extension to race in that upcoming campaign. Just six months later, he penned a new two-year deal, taking him up to the end of 2023.”
Adding on, he discusses Lewis’ mentality, saying, “The 38-year-old reckons he can race on for at least another five years, the Briton believing he still has what it takes to win a record eighth World Championship.”
