Mercedes once again failed to provide Lewis Hamilton with a championship-worthy car this season and this meant that the Briton once again did not have the opportunity to fight for the much coveted eighth world title. Citing this, Toto Wolff earlier claimed this year that he would understand if Hamilton decided to jump ship in search of his record-breaking world title. Now, this could come true as the Silver Arrows are nowhere near Red Bull.
Speaking about this, Wolff said in March as per The Guardian, “If Lewis wants to win another championship he needs to make sure he has the car, and if we cannot demonstrate that we are able to give him a car in the next couple of years then he will need to look everywhere. I don’t think he is doing it at this stage, but I will have no complaints if that happens in a year or two.”
Thanks for all the love this season. Til next year ~ pic.twitter.com/Ijg851dfzg
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) November 27, 2023
Although Hamilton was rumored to have held talks with several teams earlier this year, he eventually decided to sign a contract extension with Mercedes for another two years. According to the contract, the British driver will remain at the Brackley-based team till the end of the 2025 F1 season.
Notably, Hamilton’s contract with the team is till the end of these regulations. Hence, there is a chance he could switch teams ahead of the 2026 campaign if he does not believe that Mercedes can provide him with a car that is capable of fighting for the championship.
Lewis Hamilton had several links to rival teams in 2023
Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the most famous drivers on the grid right now. With his fame comes his ability to pull sponsors and there’s no doubt that any team would love to have him.
As a matter of fact, before Hamilton extended his contract with Mercedes, he was rumored to be joining Ferrari for an amount of $50 million. There were also rumors that the seven-time world champion was in touch with Ferrari’s higher-ups.
nights pic.twitter.com/wo1TcnS8vi
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 7, 2023
Moreover, Hamilton’s close relationship with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also intensified these rumors. However, both of them categorically denied this claim. On the other hand, Red Bull boss Christian Horner also spoke about Hamilton’s interest in joining his team.
In this case as well, Lewis Hamilton rubbished the claim saying he never intended to go to Red Bull. However, Max Verstappen stated that he did not mind having the Briton as his teammate.
