Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are yet to find common ground involving the former’s contract extension, with the validity of his current deal coming to a close at the end of the season. Amidst all the chaos surrounding this contract saga, Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal feels the team is indebted to the seven-time world champion.
Wolff recently admitted that the indebtedness comes from the fact that his team has failed to provide the seven-time world champion a championship-winning car for two seasons in a row.
The reason behind this is Mercedes’ failure to cope with the widespread regulation changes ahead of the 2022 season. And due to this shortcoming, the gradual decline of the team began as they keep slipping behind their rivals Red Bull, who have Max Verstappen.
Hamilton, who has been chasing an eighth world title since the gut-wrenching 2021 Abu Dhabi loss, has failed to emerge on top, as a result of a sub-par car. And now he has to wait till 2024 to see what the Silver Arrows has to offer in case he decides to stay.
Mercedes owes a great deal to Lewis Hamilton
Speaking about Hamilton and the entire contract dilemma at 10 Downing Street alongside F1 chief Stefano Domenicali, Wolff said that Mercedes owes their star driver a fair shot at his eighth world title.
“Lewis Hamilton is clearly the most important personality in our sport. He is so multi-dimensional. It is not only the racing driver and World Champion but he is also trailblazing for diversity and sustainability,” said the Austrian F1 boss as per Racingnews365.
With this, the 51-year-old added, “We owe him an eighth championship.” Along with this, the Silver Arrows boss also emphasized how the Brit is a spectacular character when it comes to entrepreneurship and politics.
With Hamilton’s contract extension, Mercedes trying to be competitive
Along with the efforts to keep Lewis Hamilton in the team, the Silver Arrows are also trying their best to catch up to Red Bull. After making vast improvements with a brand new sidepod and floor, the Brackley-based team is hoping for new upgrades to play an even more important role.
It is believed that Mercedes will bring the majority of their upgrades to Silverstone next weekend, as they are also planning to win at Hamilton’s favorite track by overcoming all the deficits.
As things stand, the German giants are currently in P2 in the Constructors’ championship with 187 points. Meanwhile in the drivers’ standings, Lewis Hamilton is in P4 with 106 points, and his teammate George Russell is in P7 with 72 points.
