Earlier this month, Toto Wolff defended Mercedes’ decision to not offer Lewis Hamilton the contract he desired, explaining that every driver has a “shelf life,” and the team believed the Briton was nearing the end of his. In response, Hamilton addressed these claims with straightforward honesty.
“I think he’s clarified his point, and you know Toto has been massively supportive over the years so it doesn’t really make any bearing on [me]”, Hamilton said as quoted by PlanetF1.
Wolff had made those comments on the Inside Mercedes F1 book written by Matt Whyman, and it raised several eyebrows. The F1 community, most certainly, didn’t agree with Wolff’s claims that Hamilton‘s best days were behind him. And they may have had a point, considering the 39-year-old won two races in 2024.
Mercedes, however, wanted to keep an eye out on the future, and their bets open for someone like Kimi Antonelli, which is why Hamilton didn’t get the 1+1 year contract he wanted.
The seven-time World Champion did not read what Wolff had said about him until very recently. He gave his take and also responded to claims that he has given up on the Brackley-based outfit.
“Heat of the moment, sure – I’d much rather be on the beach, chilling. I don’t need to do this,” he said. “But I’m here, and I love this job still. I’m here to absolutely give it my all these last few races, and finish out strong, and that was always the plan.”
Lewis Hamilton said he felt like walking away from Mercedes after the Brazilian Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/6oOOKE8UF0
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 21, 2024
Although Hamilton was deeply frustrated with the W15’s performance in Brazil, he is not one to take a backseat when it comes to his team’s efforts. He would relish the chance to fight at the front and is determined to end his Mercedes stint on a high note.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much he has to do in these final three races with nothing really to fight for.
What is Hamilton chasing in his final three races at Mercedes?
With Mercedes stuck in no man’s land in the pecking order, there isn’t much left for them to fight for this season. The only meaningful battle is between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to outscore each other. Russell currently sits sixth in the drivers’ standings with 192 points, just two ahead of Hamilton.
The intra-team battle would certainly give the winning driver bragging rights. But Hamilton doesn’t seem to find that important. With no scope of fighting for podiums or wins, he won’t be in the heads[ace to pay attention to the smaller achievements.
Hamilton’s focus, however, would likely be on Ferrari. Set to join the Maranello outfit in 2025, he will be hoping the Scuderia can deliver a race-winning car—a realistic possibility given their current upward trajectory.
