Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have come to an agreement on a new contract for the seven-time world champion. But it’s only for 2021…
After a year of speculation – albeit with the general acceptance that the two parties would get things sorted eventually – the deal is finally done. From the outside, there seemed little reason to break up a winning combination. Arguably the most successful combination in the history of the sport.
Hamilton’s contract negotiations have often dragged on in recent years, since he took control of the process himself and has also moved into a powerful position as Formula 1’s most eminent figure. This one has been especially lengthy, though.
That is likely in part due to complications regarding the pandemic. It would appear that, in the past, Hamilton and Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff have often met up for dinner and hammered out the bulk of the agreement. That is obviously not so easily done currently.
But there have also been rumours regarding other sticking points. Some have mentioned a ‘Verstappen Clause’, which revolved around Hamilton being able to have a say on his teammate for 2022. Despite the name, that was not necessarily focussed directly on Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman is the most likely threat to Hamilton’s dominance in the sport and Wolff is known to have been keeping tabs on him for years. Mercedes even tried to sign him as a 16-year-old, but weren’t able to match Red Bull‘s promise of an immediate drive.
However, Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2023 and Mercedes know all too well the pitfalls of having two ‘alpha’ drivers, both determined to lead the team, from their volatile years with the pairing of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
The more likely option for 2022 and beyond is surely George Russell. He is a junior Mercedes driver who demonstrated his considerable potential when given his one surprise opportunity at Sakhir and Daimler chairman Ola Kallenius wants Russell to be the team’s number one after Hamilton. The young Briton’s contract with Williams is up at the end of 2021 – as is that of current Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas – so it would appear that there are three Mercedes drivers in competition for the two 2022 seats.
There is also talk of Hamilton’s new contract containing an option for a second year, though.
It is hard to know how much longer he wants to continue. From one race to the next he will often go from sounding like he is on the verge of announcing his retirement to discussing his excitement for the new regulations in 2022.
The 36-year-old is certainly aware that he is entering the twilight of his F1 career and has many passions outside the sport – his music, his fashion, his new XE team and his fight for equality – but you can see how intensely that competitive desire still burns every race weekend.
He has also utilised Formula 1 as a springboard for his various campaigns and, indeed, this new contract contains a ‘joint commitment for greater diversity and inclusion’. Perhaps he will take stock at the end of this year – when there is a good chance he will have become the outright most successful driver in history with an eighth title – and decide if he does want to continue.
If the answer is yes, Mercedes would surely keep him on, and it would then most likely boil down to a battle between Russell and Bottas for the second seat. Mercedes would need to weigh up the pros and cons of consistency through a regulation change versus giving a deserved opportunity to their future star, who surely can only wait so long for his promotion.
If the answer is no, would they embrace change and swoop for Verstappen? A Verstappen and Russell pairing would likely be thrilling and very fast, but it would have undeniable parallels with a certain driver pairing at McLaren in 2007. And we all know how that one worked out…
