Toto Wolff reveals when Lewis Hamilton will extend his Mercedes deal
The seven-time world champion’s current contract with Mercedes expires at the end of next season
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Your support makes all the difference.Lewis Hamilton will extend his contract at Mercedes in a “quiet time over winter”, says team boss Toto Wolff.
The seven-time world champion’s current deal with the Silver Arrows - a team he has been with since leaving McLaren ahead of the 2013 season - expires at the end of the 2023 campaign.
The 37-year-old, despite his numerous interests outside of racing, has been vocal about lengthening his stay in Formula 1 and Wolff revealed after the Mexican Grand Prix that fresh terms will be agreed after the 2022 season concludes in Abu Dhabi in two weeks’ time.
“We haven’t started having talks, we want to definitely finish the season and then find some quiet time over the winter like we have done last time around, that literally started in the winter holidays and lasted over two months,” Wolff said.
“We haven’t done that. But he’s much more than a driver to us now.
“Although we’re not talking about a career end, it’s also important to speak about his role as an ambassador for Mercedes and the many sponsors that we have, and the implication he can have in our wider audience.”
Last month, in Japan, Hamilton insisted he wasn’t “going anwhere any time soon,” hinting that a new deal is not too far away.
“I know what I want to do. I plan on staying longer. It’s just not set in stone how long,” he said.
“I plan on staying with Mercedes for the rest of my life, that’s a definite. It’s more figuring out what we are going to do down the line, even beyond racing I want to be building with Mercedes and there is a lot that Mercedes can do, it’s not just a car manufacturer.
“It provides so many jobs for so many people and it has such a powerful platform to really shift narratives and it has a place where it can have a really positive impact on the environment – there’s loads of things that we can do together and I want to be a part of that.
“I want to be part of that shift and work process with Mercedes far beyond races and championships, but for now it’s to win world championships and that’s the immediate focus.”
Hamilton has two races left in 2022 to maintain his record of winning a Grand Prix in every season he’s competed in F1, with Brazil next up next week.
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