“I would have made it very clear to Lewis”- Bernie Ecclestone comments on Lewis Hamilton contract demands and how he would handle it.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are yet to confirm the status their association, with the reigning world champions, are yet to extend his contract with the Brackley based team.
It has been reported that the disagreements in the demands made by Hamilton might be taking the time. The former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes that Mercedes should give him a ‘take it or leave it’ kind of offer.
“I would have made it very clear to Lewis: Either you take what we are offering you now, or you leave. Everybody is replaceable. Only one person decides who drives here and that’s me!” the former Formula One boss told f1-insider.com.
Ecclestone further gave his real-life example to this situation, where he wanted to sign Ayrton senna, which raged Nelson Piquet, but Ecclestone didn’t care.
“We had an excellent test with a young Brazilian driver called Ayrton Senna. I wanted him. When Nelson [Piquet] heard that, he got distraught and reacted like a posturing child.”
“He definitely didn’t want Senna as a teammate. He immediately recognized his potential. But I didn’t care.”
Toto Wolff already gave the green light.
Despite all the advice and suggestions given by people like Ecclestone to Mercedes, Toto Wolff has already publically revealed that Hamilton would be staying in Mercedes in 2021 at least.
He has pointed the legal intricacies to be a delay in the confirmation, as the distance between Hamilton and Wolff amidst the pandemic has further slowed down the process.
But with the season just a few weeks away, Mercedes is the only team not to confirm its lineup this year. Therefore, clarity in this department would be expected sooner.
