Lewis Hamilton has recently emphasized more than once that he is not yet considering the end of his record career in Formula 1. He has also frequently confirmed that the 38-year-old sees his future in the top motorsport class at Mercedes. A media report from Spain attaches surprisingly little importance to this fact.
Mercedes is said to be toying with the idea of replacing record world champion Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc next year. This is what the Catalan online newspaper “El Nacional” claims.
The considerations are based on the fact that Woking is said to be no longer convinced of Hamilton’s performance. A claim that can at least be classified as daring.
Although Hamilton’s contract expires at the end of the year, team boss Toto Wolff, whom “El Nacional” explicitly lists as a critic of Hamilton, has already made it very clear that staying is only a matter of form.
“I’ve been working with Lewis for eleven years now, and every time a contract expires, the assumptions start,” said Wolff recently on the sidelines of the Miami GP. “But we always handle it the same way, we work on it calmly, it’s actually only changing a few numbers and a few times, but it’s all in progress and it’s only a matter of time before we sign the whole thing.” Hamilton also confirmed: “I feel a strong inner drive and want to stay here for a while.”
In mid-March, Wolff also stated that he would “not be angry” with Hamilton if he looked around at other teams if Mercedes didn’t provide him with a winning car, but he simply didn’t believe that the Brit was currently considering this.
Wolff is more of a confidante than a critic of Hamilton
“I don’t think Lewis will leave Mercedes,” explained Wolff, explaining this not least with his person: “He is in a phase of his career in which we trust each other. We have built this close relationship with each other and we don’t have one Doubts about each other, even if we’re going through a difficult phase in sport. But it will be so nice when we can finally get out of this vale of tears and deliver strong performances again.”
So far this season, Mercedes is only third behind Red Bull and Aston Martin, Hamilton is fourth in the drivers’ standings with 56 points, a long way behind championship leader Max Verstappen. It is questionable that Leclerc, whose contract with Ferrari does not end until the end of 2024, would achieve better results. The Monegasse experienced a debacle year with the Scuderia.