Lewis Hamilton is yet to sign his contract extension with Mercedes. The negotiations between them have been going on for a long time and nothing official has been declared as of yet except Toto Wolff stating that their deal has been “emotionally completed”. This left Hamilton’s former teammate Nico Rosberg baffled. The former Mercedes driver is astounded at how this contract saga is shaping up to be.
As per recent reports, Wolff stated that Hamilton and Mercedes are emotionally tied-up, but the final result is yet to come. According to Express UK, the Mercedes boss said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix: “The status is we haven’t signed it but emotionally we have done it.”
Mr Mercedes-AMG. 🖤💜 pic.twitter.com/vOkXEGckUK
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 14, 2023
Now, Rosberg expressed his shock upon hearing the bizarre contract situation between Hamilton and the Silver Arrows. After their tumultuous contract extension back in 2021, experts believe the situation is once again heading in a similar direction. It is believed that monetary obstacles are coming in the way of Hamilton extending his stay in Brackley.
Rosberg left perplexed by Hamilton’s contract situation
Hamilton’s ex-Mercedes partner Rosberg believes the former should consider how Mercedes have been getting better with their development and upgrades. Once the 38-year-old is sure about getting pole positions and winning races, signing the extension might turn out to be easy.
However, Rosberg is still surprised at the way things have come up with Wolff not giving a clear answer. Speaking of this, the 2016 F1 world champion said, “Can someone tell me what that means when a contract is emotionally done?”
Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1 that a new Mercedes deal with Lewis Hamilton has been sorted “emotionally” 👀
When could we expect a formal announcement though? 🤔#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/gnvsBpIFQi
— Autosport (@autosport) July 22, 2023
Following this, he added, “I have no idea where they are at. Or why Lewis is taking so much time. All of us hope that he will continue of course. And it really seems to be the case.”
As mentioned before, Hamilton last signed a contract extension with Mercedes back in 2021. That deal expires at the end of the 2023 season. Rumors of him considering an exit from the team have also been very strong over the last few months.
Lewis Hamilton contradicts Wolff’s surprise announcement
Toto Wolff has recently revealed that talks surrounding Hamilton’s contract have been heading in a positive direction. The 51-year-old expects them to make an official announcement in the weeks to come.
Interestingly, the Austrian boss revealed this information to a ‘child reporter’ from Sky Germany because he couldn’t say that publicly. Later on, the kid ended up spilling the secret that Wolff couldn’t admit publicly. He stated that Hamilton will indeed, extend his stay at Mercedes.
So Toto told one of the child reporters of Sky Germany that Lewis will extend his contract for two years.
Toto said he can‘t say it officially and whispered it to him. The child reporter just said it live now. pic.twitter.com/BJU1WdQd58
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) July 23, 2023
This could mean that Lewis Hamilton has failed to land a long-term contract for himself. However, the seven-time world champion has denied any confirmation of signing a new deal as of now. Sources like GP Fans reported that the extension announcement might come at the end of the 2023 season since the negotiations are still ongoing.
