Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed discussions to finalize a new deal for Lewis Hamilton with the team will only require sitting down for half an hour over coffee.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed discussions to finalize a new deal for Lewis Hamilton with the team will only require sitting down for half an hour over coffee.Wolff’s statement came after Mercedes achieved a strong result at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen, while teammate George Russell was third in the sister Black Arrow.
Wolff told Sky Sports F1: “We just need time to sit over a coffee. That’s going to take half an hour.”
As for Hamilton, he insisted he hasn’t put pen to paper yet, but revealed he would be meeting with Wolff on Monday [today] as part of the ongoing contract negotiations.
“I haven’t signed anything yet, but I think we are meeting with Toto tomorrow [Monday] so hopefully we can get something done,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.
Quizzed about the nature of the meeting; he responded: “It wasn’t a subtle hint. We’ve had so many meetings and this is just another one of the meetings we are having.
Hamilton performance not affected by contract negotiations
“You could see today my performance is not affected by that, but it’s always something that’s at the back of your mind. Once that’s done then you are able to then focus more and think about the future.
“I’m working as hard as I can with this team and I see so much strength within the team,” the Briton added. “They are still so hungry. The podium today was really, really special. To be able to see the excitement in all the people that have worked for such a long time.
“When we go back right now, there will be great energy in the office. These guys take two seconds to enjoy themselves and be happy and then they’ll be back down into the books and trying to figure out how we can win the next race,” the seven-time Formula 1 Champion concluded.
Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes has been the subject of rumors and speculations over the past couple of months, with reports linking him with Ferrari, which both he and the Scuderia denied, while other reports (The Sun) recently claimed that the issue was Mercedes offering their driver a one-year extension only.
Regardless, the result of both Mercedes and Hamilton on Sunday in Barcelona should push both parties closer to a new contract, as the team proved to be on the mend with their updated W14, while the driver showed beyond any doubt that he is still performing at a very high level.