For Mercedes to convince Lewis Hamilton to stay wasn’t as straightforward as you’d think. Even though the Brit went into the summer break with just 10 races left on his contract, it wasn’t until today that an official announcement was made about his 2-year deal. In between all of this speculation, there were multiple rumors about disagreements, an ego battle, and interest from other teams like Ferrari. All in all, now that the dotted lines have been signed, the LH Army should be thanking Toto Wolff profusely for convincing his driver-cum-mate to extend his contract, right?

With Wolff at the helm of Mercedes and Hamilton strapped into their cars, the Brackley-based team dominated the turbo-hybrid era of this sport. And while this was ensuing, the Austrian team boss and the Brit forged quite a unique relationship. It developed from something more than just a driver-TP thing. Hence, it’s only natural to feel that Wolff was the deciding factor in fixating the 7x champion with the Silver Arrows.

Lewis Hamilton reveals the real reason he signed for Mercedes

The duo of Wolff and Hamilton have bashed contracts out in the past. But that was during their heyday. For Hamilton to stick himself to the Mercedes project this time around, he needed convincing from elsewhere.

After the team announced his extension, the Brit revealed as quoted by Crash.net, “It’s what you see. It’s not necessarily what someone says. It’s the meeting with the engineers, with James Allison, the whole group at the factory, with the heads of departments, engaging better than ever before about where we are, the mistakes we’ve made, why we made those decisions, why we won’t make them again,” while talking about what actually motivated him to stay.

While Alisson may have solidified a vision in the Brit’s mind, the real deciding factor for the 7x champion is what he wants to do in the future with the Silver Arrows.

Read More: Minutes After Making $127,000,000 Announcement, Lewis Hamilton & Co. Echoes Simone Biles’ 3 Word Mantra to Embrace New Beginnings

Hamilton declares championship aspirations

After 2021, you’d expect Hamilton to be chasing that elusive 8th championship with a vengeance. While there is some truth to this, the 38-year-old was quick to dispel any ill feelings towards Max Verstappen & Co. Rather, he wants to eclipse what’s happened and gain racing immortality with the German giants.

He explained, “On the 2021 thing, I’m not really a revenge person and it’s not about revenge. It’s not about redemption. That’s in the past and there is nothing you can do about the past. What we can do is work harder, be more precise and be better moving forwards. I truly believe with this team we can win more championships together and more races. That’s where all my energy is coming from.”

Can Lewis Hamilton win an eight or possibly even more with Mercedes before his F1 career ends?

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