Hamilton to sign at least two-year Mercedes extension

Henry Valantine
Lewis Hamilton Toto Wolff PA

Lewis Hamilton Toto Wolff PA

Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton will sign a multi-year contract extension with Mercedes, to secure his long-term future in the sport.

The seven-time World Champion’s future has been a hot topic of discussion in the paddock, after he signed a 12-month extension to only see him through the 2021 season.

Hamilton has since said that he hopes to have a new contract signed by the summer break with the Silver Arrows, effectively ending speculation that the 36-year-old will retire at the end of the season.

Having left it late to sign for another year with Mercedes for this season, with a deal only concluding over the winter close season, both Hamilton and Wolff have said they hope to arrange a new long-term deal sooner this time around.

“Yes, it should be [more than a year],” said the Mercedes team principal in an interview with PA. “We don’t want to be in a stressful situation every single year where we are absolutely flat-out trying to win races and needing to negotiate. I would rather that doesn’t happen every year.

“We just need to spend a day or two together, put it out there, and decide which are the difficult components. We will then lock the door and won’t walk out until it is sorted. That works best for us and it has worked best for us in the past.”

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Hamilton produced another vintage performance to win the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, taking an extra pit stop and reeling in a 24-second deficit to title rival Max Verstappen and overtake the Dutchman to take his 98th Grand Prix victory.

Wolff added that he thinks the Briton can compete into his 40s in F1, comparing his longevity to that of the NFL’s Tom Brady, who won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the age of 43.

Asked if Hamilton can compete into his 40s, Wolff replied: “Yes, absolutely. I have no doubt about that. He is so disciplined that in a way it is inspiring.

“As long as Lewis continues to look after himself mentally and physically, continues to develop cognitively, then he can go on for much longer.

“Look at Tom Brady and we are talking about an athlete that is on the field. Here is a racing driver that has utilised all his senses.”

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