Lewis Hamilton has recently signed a new deal with Mercedes that will see the team retain the driver’s services for two more years for $127,000,000. While the contract will see Hamilton be a part of the team in his 40s, it’s not as long as the Briton wants to stay in the F1. Toto Wolff reciprocates the feeling of a prolonged relationship, but Autosport mentions the team boss is not in favor of a premature long-term commitment in view of complicated escape clauses.
An escape clause in the F1 contract allows a driver to leave the team before their contract expires. Under normal circumstances, a driver is only allowed to leave the team upon mutual agreement or if their contract runs out and there is no extension in place. But with the escape clause, the causality of mutual agreement goes out of play.
Max Verstappen, who has one of the longest contracts in the F1, has an escape clause in his contract should the team ‘crash’ the way they did in 2014. However, with only a two-year contract on offer, the Silver Arrows did not have to worry about putting in the same.
No escape clause complications between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
Hamilton has always hinted at wanting to stay in the F1 for a long time. With winning six of his seven titles with Mercedes, the Brackley-based team felt like the perfect long-term home for the British driver. However, a two-year extension will only see Hamilton be a part of the team until 2025. Team Principal Toto Wolff was quick to issue a statement to clear the air over why a short-term deal was offered to the former world champion.
“This is a dynamic environment and signing a five-year contract means that you need to discuss about [if] there is any escape clause in case we’re not providing him with a car that is performing. So, we didn’t entertain that. We said we see the foreseeable future is two years. And that’s what we are committing to each other.”
The extension will have Hamilton racing for the Silver Arrows until the end of current era regulations. With Mercedes starting to climb back up the pecking order, it could make for an interesting two seasons as Hamilton will want to spearhead his team’s resurgence and win his eighth world title.
Hamilton will earn more than any other driver ever
Earning over $63,000,000 each year, the 38-year-old is now at the receiving end of the biggest payout an F1 driver has seen. The second driver in line is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who earns around $8 million less than his fiercest rival on track. With such a staggering amount on the line, Mercedes have made it clear they regard Hamilton very highly and want to keep him on their side on their way back to the top.
With current engine regulations in play till the 2025 season, the Mercedes-Hamilton resurgence might have to wait a little longer. This could be suggestive of Mercedes offering their British driver another extension as the new-age engine regulations kick in in 2026. If they don’t, Mercedes certainly avoided a messy situation by not adding an escape clause in the 7-time world champion’s latest contract.
