Lewis Hamilton faced a highly unusual situation while signing the 2021 contract with Mercedes. The British driver, who spent eight years with the Silver Arrows then, had to take a 45% pay cut. The cut then left him with $20,000,000 to take home.
According to Business F1, Hamilton was furious over it. As he joined the team back in 2013 and helped to deliver seven back-to-back constructors’ championships by 2020, he naturally believed he was worth more.
This has come along with his seven world titles, which altogether made him believe that he is worth a lot more and certainly deserves a raise. The Business F1 further reported that the Briton also threatened to leave the team if his demands were not met.
Adamant Lewis Hamilton wanted a pay rise, Wolff was reluctant
Despite a series of negotiations, Hamilton remained adamant about his salary. He wanted the rise from $35 million to $40 million in the next contract. However, team principal Toto Wolff was unwilling to increase the amount.
Instead, Wolff cited the pandemic back in 2020 and the unfair distribution of the salary. Pointing at these, he stayed prominent on the pay cut. Eventually, the Stevenage-born driver agreed, but the report by Business F1 said that Hamilton accepted the deal because he had nowhere to go.
7-time Drivers’ Championship winner Lewis Hamilton has signed contract extension with Mercedes for 2021 #F1 season. In the announcement, Hamilton and Mercedes re-affirmed their commitment to improving diversity and inclusion in the sport. pic.twitter.com/jmeWC62rCj
— Sports China (@PDChinaSports) February 8, 2021
Given, Sainz had already signed for Ferrari back then, that left the Silver Arrows ace without a prominent seat for the next season. Furthermore, the Mercedes boss knew the W11 was superior to any other challenger in F1 back then.
This was added after the British driver was replaced by his compatriot George Russell following the former’s Covid-positive status. It showed how a young driver like Russell can dominate the race in a Mercedes. Hence, Hamilton would think twice before leaving the team, and that made Wolff confirm to people that $20 million was all he could do.
The contract negotiations created a lot of tensions
Even though Lewis Hamilton is still with Mercedes, the contract negotiations back in 2021 created a lot of confusion and tension. And it was so difficult and so long that it started in summer and lasted through all winter.
Admittedly, reports say that the current contract negotiations are going through the same, as Hamilton is still to sign his Mercedes contract.
Despite multiple reports of the Briton signing his extension by the 2023 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, there are still lots of confusion surrounding the seven-time world champion’s stay with the Brackley-based team.
