Lewis Hamilton put all speculations over his future to rest recently after he signed a blockbuster two-year extension with Mercedes. The Briton’s contract had been a longstanding issue as rumors that he had demanded a whopping $250,0000 from the Silver Arrows had been floating around for the past four months. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had denied the same by stating that only “trivial” hold-ups delayed Hamilton from signing an extension. And with the Austrian again making similar remarks recently, it seems that he has just confirmed David Coulthard’s conspiracy theory.
While speaking to the media a few months ago, Wolff had said, “It is simply down to trivial things that just need to be cleaned up in the contract.” At the time, the 51-year-old had made it clear that Hamilton never thought about leaving the team.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) August 31, 2023
Wolff said that since the Briton has been a Mercedes driver (previously McLaren Mercedes) since he was 10, there was never any doubt that he would sign an extension. After finally coming to terms with Hamilton, Wolff has explained what the hold-ups were about.
Wolff explains what led to a delay in Hamilton signing his extension
While speaking in a recent interview (as quoted by crash.net), Toto Wolff said, “Lewis and I were clear on the major terms in June, July. Things were just dribbling along. Bubbling along slowly. Then it was summer break. In the end, it was about marketing – not really the big relevant topics. That took a bit of time“.
The Mercedes team principal’s remarks are interesting as David Coulthard had given a similar analysis previously of why Hamilton perhaps took so long to sign a new contract. While speaking to Irish News, the former F1 driver had said that the 38-year-old perhaps would not be willing to take part in as many marketing events as before.
As quoted by crash.net, Coulthard said, “What Lewis will be signing up for goes way beyond him driving at a Grand Prix. It is about what rights he retains in terms of his image, and what rights he sells to the team. Mercedes are buying more than just Lewis’ driving services. They are buying his promotional image and his PR image“. Coulthard’s remarks are interesting as Hamilton is indeed the most marketable driver in the sport.
Lewis Hamilton is the most marketable driver in F1
A study conducted by SportsPro last year revealed Lewis Hamilton as the most marketable driver in F1. The Briton is third in the list of most marketable sportspeople, only behind five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams.
The second most marketable driver is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, but he is only the 25th most marketable sportsperson as per the report. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s arch-rival, Max Verstappen, is the third most marketable driver and 35th on the list of overall sportspersons.
