“Never an Option” – Wolff Refutes Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 Retirement Suggestion

The moment Lewis Hamilton lifted his record-equaling 7th world championship title at Istanbul Park in 2020, it looked like his future was pretty much safe and sound at Mercedes.

However, then arrived the unexpected delay in the announcement which spurred a lot of speculations, most of which were on Hamilton’s probable resignation from the Brackley outfit.

But, soon, Mercedes shut off such rumors by teaming up with the 7-time world champion for another year until the end of 2021. And the contract has now been extended until the end of 2023. Nevertheless, there was undeniably a lot of instability with the Mercedes team throughout the winter period of 2020.

The 1-year contract was certainly unusual, and a lot wondered whether it had something to do with Hamilton’s potential interest to quit F1. Well, according to Toto Wolff, that’s not it. He openly confessed that resignation wasn’t even an option for Hamilton.

“I think he never wanted to stop competing in Formula 1,” he said, according to Motorsport Total. “You always have to have options, of course. But, quitting was never an option. It seemed pretty clear that we would keep going.”

Lewis Hamilton contradicts Mercedes boss’ claim

Hamilton indirectly denied Wolff’s claim that resignation was out of option. The Briton affirmed that he was looking at options other than racing for a brief amount of time.

What’s more, Hamilton also acknowledged that he was losing interest in racing before Max Verstappen’s challenge spiced things up again.

“We were in a pandemic and so much has changed in the world. I was also unsure whether to continue or not,” he said. “But then I had the best and most fun start to the year and enjoyed the rollercoaster ride. And with more direct contact with Wolff, the new contract was easier in the summer.”

“And this close fight brought me closer to the team. I had to hang in even more, and I love this discovery. It rekindled my love for the sport. And I want to help develop the sport so it can be as great as possible,” Hamilton added.

Overall, the concerns over Hamilton’s future have vanished in no time since Mercedes broke the contract news out. So, the focus now lands on the other Mercedes seat, which has George Russell‘s name written all over it. Hence, can Hamilton and Russell prove to be the dream team of the 2022 F1 season?

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