Lewis Hamilton has still not signed a new contract with Mercedes.
The new season will start soon - Toto Wolff makes one sit up and take notice.
The contract talks between
Lewis Hamilton
and
Mercedes *
take an unexpectedly long time.
Does the champion leave
Formula 1 *
but?
Team boss
Toto Wolff
expects further surprises.
Brackley - A good two months before the start of the new Formula 1 season, all cockpits have been assigned - except for one thing: of all people, world champion
Lewis Hamilton
has not yet been confirmed as a
Mercedes driver
.
His contract extension is as tough as chewing gum, so slowly one wonders what the problem is.
For a long time, it seemed a matter of form that Hamilton continued.
But even Mercedes team boss
Toto Wolff
, who himself submitted a new contract, now quietly expresses doubts.
“I think we have to be prepared for the fact that he still has a few surprises up his sleeve,” the Austrian told
Autosport
magazine
.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes: Still no enforcement - Wolff suspects "surprises"
Poker makes Wolff “don't worry, because I will always respect Lewis' decision.
Whether he stays with us for a long time or leaves the sport and pursues other interests. ”That doesn't sound like a formality.
But he also emphasizes: “We talk a lot and are very transparent with one another.
I believe that we can still achieve a lot together. "
The agreement has so far failed mainly due to the financial demands of the seven-time world champion.
Another sticking point could be the contract period.
One thing is clear: the longer the procedure drags on, the greater the pressure on Mercedes.
A spokesman recently appeased: "There is no need to be concerned".
A mysterious tweet a few weeks ago actually indicated an agreement.
Formula 1: will Lewis Hamilton stay with Mercedes?
If, contrary to expectations, Hamilton does not extend,
Formula 1
would
lose its currently most dazzling figure.
“Formula 1 was always about the best man and the best machine.
The best man is the fastest driver and also the most intelligent driver.
This is someone who understands the dynamics and the technical skills in his team and sees himself in the context of this organization and not as the center of the universe, where everything revolves around the sun, ”says Wolff of the British.
With
Michael Schumacher *
he has drawn level in terms of world championship titles - his manager revealed a family secret. * (epp)
* tz.de is part of the Ippen editorial network.