The historic partnership between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes is pending renewal in 2023. Even after positive claims from both ends, nothing official has been signed yet. To add to the brimming speculations, the Silver Arrows Boss, Toto Wolff, has made a revelation that may point in the direction of a rocky ride for them in the coming season. It does not look very promising for someone who wants to claim his eighth world title.

2022 was a season to forget for the Brackley-based outfit. The undefeated champions of the hybrid era were faced with a very challenging season-long campaign. They now stand at the gates of the 2023 season with 2 situations at hand: the improvement of their car and Lewis Hamilton’s contract extension. The F1 world continues to wonder if the German team can deliver a championship-winning car to the Brit.

Being pragmatic towards the situation at hand, as per motorsport.com, Toto Wolff said, “We have no doubt, when you’re starting behind by half a second, that it’s going to be difficult to catch up to such great organizations like Red Bull, or Ferrari.”

He further added, “We are super determined in doing just that. But we need to set our expectations at a realistic level. If we perform in the way we hope, then we’d like to be part of the racing at the very front. I think that would be a starting point.”

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A challenge worth taking up is what will push Hamilton toward signing a new contract. Both the team and their championship-winning driver have expressed obvious intentions in furthering their collaboration.

Is the potential still locked after a season-long trial for Lewis Hamilton?

While the fans were expecting the Silver Arrows to bounce back with a new design after the disastrous 2022 season, Mercedes wants to unlock the potential of their existing car. Though they still remain cautious after being defeated at the hands of Red Bull and Ferrari.

Wolff has suggested that the team is pushing on with a similar design for 2023. He said, “…We will only see when starting testing whether we have unlocked the potential that we believe has always been in the car. I think there is so much potential still that within our car, within the concept, the way we drive the car, etc, that maybe our development slope can be steeper in the months to come.”

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While the F1 world was already grabbing popcorn to watch the 3-way battle between Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes, we now have to see what will this battle mean for the hepta-world champion’s stay with the Mercedes team. Can W14 become a defining factor in the British driver’s decision to sign a new contract?