F1 reminds us of Lewis Hamilton uncertainty amid Mercedes contract stand-off
With a simple graphic posted on social media, Formula 1 reminded us all that there is still no absolute guarantee that its greatest asset will be sticking around.
Lewis Hamilton is definitely signing a new contract. Mercedes definitely want him to pen that new deal. We've known both those facts for almost a year. Yet, neither of them have happened yet.
The seven-time world champion's current deal runs until the end of this year. And, as a graphic tweeted from the official F1 account this week shows, his seat is one of seven which has yet to be officially filled for the 2024 season.
Why are contract talks taking so long? Well, according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, the main aspects such as salary and length of the deal have already been agreed, and it's the "trivial" minutiae that still needs to be sorted out.
Clearly, there is a sticking point somewhere. Penni Thow has been a key member of Hamilton's inner circle for a couple of years and looks after his business interest, but has also been involved in the Mercedes negotiations as well and will no doubt be doing everything she can to get the best deal for her client.
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On the team's side, there's every chance corporate involvement will be slowing things down. Hamilton has essentially been an ambassador of the Mercedes brand for more than a decade now and the carmaker would no doubt want to continue to benefit from that, perhaps even beyond his racing career.
But things invariably slow down whenever a boardroom gets involved. Egos and red tape are the sworn enemies of efficiency and expediency.
Despite rumbling on for so long, this saga shows no sign of ending imminently. Neither side feels the need to rush things with a few months still to run in this season and on Hamilton's current deal.
The Brit says he has been "removed" from negotiations for some time, another indication that the important aspects are agreed and that he's happy to leave it with Thow and the rest of his team to oversee the details. And he recently said: "It might be announced at the end of the year, I don't know."
Hamilton has been getting more and more irritable with each passing F1 Grand Prix weekend, faced with questions about the status of the negotiations on every media day without fail. It's a fair question to ask – fans are desperate for final, unimpeachable confirmation that the sport's most famous face will continue his career with the Silver Arrows.
Barring a dramatic change of mind from one or both camps, he will. And F1 chiefs will breathe a huge sigh of relief at confirmation that the sport's biggest marketing tool will be around for a few more years.
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