“No”: Amid Heated Controversy, Toto Wolff Issues Eye Catching Update on Lewis Hamilton’s Contract Extension at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton is arguably the biggest name on the F1 grid today. And what he has achieved with Mercedes since the turbo-hybrid era of the sport began has etched both their names beside each other for eternity. Naturally, seeing the Brit kit up in another team’s gear is virtually impossible to imagine. But do the fans of the 7x champion need to brace themselves for that eventuality?

Hamilton’s contract with the Silver Arrows is coming to an end with the conclusion of the 2023 season. Needless to say, contract negotiations are underway. However, in a sport so dominated by fiscal demands, it would appear that the duo may have hit a multi-million dollar roadblock!

Toto Wolff delivers brutal end to Lewis Hamilton contract talks

Mercedes rejecting Hamilton’s $ 25,000,000-a-year proposal is just the tip of the iceberg here. The Austrian Grand Prix seems to have thrown yet another spanner in the works with Toto Wolff, publicly admonishing the Brit for his harsh comments about the driveability of the W14 on his radio comms.

After Hamilton’s rant, Wolff came onto the radio to say, “Lewis, the car is bad, we know. Please drive it!” Now, in the aftermath, what does the Austrian have to say about a new contract? Well, he was quoted by Motorsport-Total.com as saying, “We want to do it perfectly, down to the smallest detail, and sometimes you can have a situation in which everything has been polished.”

“But it’s not at all about money here. It’s about the future, about what we want to do well and design optimally. We no longer talk about duration, money and all of that. It’s just other issues.” [translated via Google Translate]

Then is an announcement during the British GP weekend still a possibility? “No!” exclaimed Wolff.

Read More: “Lewis Deserves Better”: Toto Wolff Sends Defeated Message to Hamilton to Follow Up With Heartening Request, Leaving Fans Sympathetic

While rumors abound about the ramifications of Wolff’s public Hamilton put down, the Austrian is adamant about his version of events.

Wolff stands by his Hamilton comments

The Austrian GP was by no account a slouch. The race was a drama-filled thriller. And through all of this, Hamilton was finding it pretty difficult to get the maximum out of the W14. At one point in time, he also exclaimed, “This car is slow, mate.” Naturally, Wolff felt the need to intervene.

The Guardian quoted Wolff’s explanation. He said, “Only for the best of the drivers and in the best interests of the drivers and of the team sometimes there is a certain moment you need to calm things down.”

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Will Lewis Hamilton re-sign with Mercedes?