Lewis Hamilton has signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes, keeping him with the manufacturer until the end of 2025.
Lewis Hamilton admits he “spoke” to rival Ferrari amid switch rumours, before extending his current contract with Mercedes. The seven-time world champion also made a surprising admission about his new contract with the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton ended speculation about his future last month by signing a new contract with Mercedes despite dissatisfaction with his current car. The 38-year-old racer won six world titles in a seven-year reign for the Silver Arrows, before Red Bull and Max Verstappen ended his dominance two years ago.
After being controversially denied the 2021 title, Mercedes has struggled to match its rivals in speed over the past two years. Hamilton failed to win a race last year for the first time in his F1 career and looks set to miss out on a win again this season.
Hamilton was said to be interested in joining Ferrari earlier this year and confirmed in an interview with Swiss newspaper Blick that he had spoken to them. However, the Mercedes star said a contract was “never” put on the negotiating table. He say:
“Okay, we definitely had a few unrelated conversations. I know a lot of good people there. But I never felt ready to move to Italy.
Hamilton now looks set to end his career with the Silver Arrows after lengthy contract negotiations. When asked if he had read all the contract documents himself, the star revealed the length of the agreement.
“Of course I want to know exactly what’s in it,” he said. “[It used to be 80 pages] but now it’s over 200 pages or a damn book. And it takes you days!
It’s unclear where Mercedes will go in the next two years, as its current W14 car still cannot match rival Red Bull. Team boss Toto Wolff believes the car will be “thrown in the trash” as its drivers have never recorded a victory and have only had a total of six podium finishes this season.
Speaking after the Singapore Grand Prix, he said:
“We’ll throw this in the trash when it goes really fast and then start a new journey.” I think we have encouraging signs coming out of the tunnel of a balanced car that’s going to be more cohesive, and we’ve got answers to our questions.
“So we’re really looking at the results with an encouraging outlook.” » Despite previous criticism of the car, Hamilton now wants to “retain some of the positives” of the current model.
Leave a Reply