What would you choose? Staying at a team that’s been built around you and has been your home for the past decade or shifting to a new team where you would no longer be the outright top dog? The F1 rumor mill had been running for the past few weeks, speculating that Lewis Hamilton got a $49 million a year offer from Ferrari to join the team. But Hamilton quickly shut down the rumors and is close to signing an extension with Mercedes.

Ever since George Russell joined the Brackley outfit in 2022, the 7-time world champion hasn’t had the upper hand as often as he used to. And if he were to join Ferrari or any other team right now, he would only be directly competing against the younger, hungrier generation. Thus, Mika Hakkinen has speculated why Hamilton, despite being the fighter he is, wouldn’t want to do that.

Is F1 no longer the most important thing for Lewis Hamilton

The F1 world will soon have to accept that there will come a day when Lewis Hamilton will retire. The 38-year-old is not getting any younger, but he also isn’t done with F1 yet. Regardless of the ratification of his new Mercedes deal, he isn’t the same person he was back when he joined F1 in 2007.

According to Motorsport Week, Mika Hakkinen said, “Lewis’ head is not 100 percent in racing anymore.”  As much as Lewis has proven himself a top-class driver, shifting to a new team is always risky. No matter how established he is in Mercedes, he’ll still have to prove himself in another team if he shifts.

While Hakkinen seems to think that Lewis no longer has the energy to do that, let alone compete with the younger generation. So post shunning any chances of the Brit joining Ferrari, the Finnish champion cited, “I always say that when people get older, the order of your thoughts change. Your priorities in life change. Formula 1 just won’t be the most important thing anymore.”

Read More: George Russell Hailed to Send Aging Lewis Hamilton Into Retirement as Burning Questions Grab Attention

While Hamilton, being the driver he is, will put his heart and soul into the sport for as long as he stays, he also has better things to look forward to—spending time with Roscoe and his niece and nephew, growing his Neat Burger franchise, or maybe even going on that skydiving trip with his former physio Angela Cullen. But those things will come a little later because Mercedes is gearing up to offer Hamilton a deal he can’t refuse.

Lewis Hamilton might be offered a $63 million Mercedes deal

Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to leave. While Ferrari offered him a $49 million deal, Mercedes is ready to offer him $63 million. When Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff opened up about this deal, he explained that despite the two of them having a good relationship, he still dreads talking about money. But even though he dreads it, he is determined to make Hamilton stay at Mercedes.

With the Canadian GP weekend on, we might hear more about this offer. Lewis & Mercedes may even give an official confirmation of a contract being signed. Either way, Hamilton is certainly looking to stay – at least for one more year.

Do you think Hamilton will stay at Mercedes, or will he take the F1 community by storm by shifting to Ferrari? If he does, whose seat is he going to take? All eyes and ears will be on him and Toto Wolff this weekend.

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