In this dynamic world of F1, one of the few things that has stayed static is Lewis Hamilton’s contract renewal talks. Back and forth goes on, but there has been no conclusion that has come yet. And the bleak progress by Mercedes in their car is neither helping Hamilton’s progress nor the contract talks. Keeping that in perspective, Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff has commented on their weakening performance.
In F1, there are different ways to judge inter-team and intra-team performance. And both of them come down to lap times being compared. When the Brackley outfit was dominating the grid, they were not only winning but also had considerable competition between their 2 drivers. But now, neither of that is happening and Wolff believes that this is a cause of concern for the team.
Toto Wolff on Red Bull's dominance:
"I don't know whether our dominance was similar or less as I think we had years where we did it in the same way, but at least we had two cars that were fighting each other."
"So that caused a little bit of entertainment for everyone, and… pic.twitter.com/LlcEW98hJt
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) August 4, 2023
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Using Red Bull as a benchmark, the Austrian Team Principal showed why their performance doesn’t match up to Hamilton’s expectations. Wolff said, “I don’t know whether our dominance was similar or less as I think we had years where we did it in the same way, but at least we had two cars that were fighting each other. So that caused a little bit of entertainment for everyone, and that’s not the case at the moment.”
There might be more than a handful of problems that they are having to deal with now. But Wolff has assured everybody that the 7-time champion will be continuing with the team for the coming years.
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Toto Wolff Confident of Lewis Hamilton Staying With and Rebuilding Mercedes
Compared to their prime years, both Mercedes and Hamilton are in a big slump. For new fans of the sport, all they know is that Red Bull is the best team and the rest are just racing for P2 in the Constructors’. Yes, the Brackley-based team has become a part of ‘the rest’ now. However, Wolff is confident that Hamilton will be an important part of the team’s resurrection in the future.
“I think there is no need to persuade him,” said Wolff, on BBC’s Desert Island Discs podcast. “He knows about all the goodness and although we struggled with the car this year, and last year, he will be part of the resurrection of the team.“
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Watch This Story: Christian Horner Claims Lewis Hamiltons 7-Year Dominance Is Just Luck
And this confident claim by Wolff sounds valid because Lewis Hamilton has always been super-sure that he wants to continue with Mercedes till he retires. After all, their partnership has created history at the Pinnacle of Motorsport. It should only be a matter of time before the contract is finalized.