Lewis Hamilton not engaged in Mercedes contract talks as no resolution in sight

25 July 2023 , 05:00

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Lewis Hamilton's contract extension may not be ready for another few months (Image: HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Lewis Hamilton said he is "removed" from the ongoing contract negotiations with Mercedes over his future.

The seven-time world champion's current deal expires at the end of this season. And despite public desire from both sides to secure an extension, negotiations continue to go on.

Team boss Toto Wolff said in June that a deal was just "days" away. But such an outcome failed to materialise and, almost two months on, there is still no sign that the Brit has put pen to paper.

Hamilton has admitted that this situation may still go on for several months yet. "It might be announced at the end of the year, I don't know," he said when asked for an update at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

And the 38-year-old went on to add that he has not been involved in the talks for a long time. He added: "Honestly, I just don't have any more information for you to share this week. It's with the lawyers, back and forth. I've not been a part of it the whole time.

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"I've been removed from it from the beginning. I wanted to be able to focus on all the other things that I have going on. The team are working on it in the background. There's no negotiation left, it's just all the small bits."

Wolff has also recently said there is no longer any talk about money or the duration of the contract with both sides agreed on those fronts. And in Budapest he said: "The status is we haven't signed it, but emotionally we have done it."

The wording of that sentence baffled Hamilton's former Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. "Can someone tell me what that means, when a contract is emotionally done?" quipped the Sky Sports pundit.

"I have no idea where they are at, or why Lewis is taking so much time. All of us hope that he will continue, of course, and it really seems to be the case. Especially with the car progressing now, that's going to help that contract process also.

"Once Lewis now feels the possibility, 'Hey I can do pole positions again, I can win races, yeah I want to continue doing this'."

Daniel Moxon