F1 | Mercedes, Hamilton on the renewal: "Toto Wolff and I should start discussing it in the next few days"

Even if at the moment the contract renewal has not yet been officially signed, over the last few weeks Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have expressed all their confidence regarding the discussions for the extension of the agreement between the British driver and the German team also for next season, underlining that negotiations would begin after the conclusion of the championship.

The Abu Dhabi tests and the official awards of the International Automobile Federation have kept the parties involved busy, especially in terms of travel, thus reducing the time to meet and discuss what to do for next year. Nonetheless, Hamilton himself confirmed that negotiations will begin shortly: “We have not yet started conversations on the matter. Toto and I should do it in the next few days. We have traveled a lot in the last few days,” explained the Englishman during an interview with the media.

Last week a very important confirmation also arrived, namely the renewal of Toto Wolff for the next few years as CEO and Team Principal of the team. A fundamental piece in the successes achieved by Mercedes, as Lewis himself explained: “I am happy and proud of the fact that Toto has signed the renewal. He is an important leader for the team and the successes achieved would not have been possible without him. He's a great figurehead and I think it's better for the team to have that longevity,” commented the seven-time world champion.

Among the news for the next championship there will also be the entry of Ineos as a shareholder of the team, which recently purchased a third of the team's shares together with Mercedes and Toto Wolff, with the latter sharing the remaining part equally measure. A move that Hamilton commented with satisfaction, because the economic contribution of the company specialized in the chemical sector will be able to lend a hand in the future also from the point of view of the longevity of the organization: "It's nice to see that there is still commitment on the part of the Mercedes, but with the bonus of having Ineos with us, it's great to see that they will be part of the team and that they will help us take the team forward to make it even better. It will be an extra incentive for us to continue to raise the bar, because I think we have done a great job over the last few years. There are the right people in the right place. I believe the future is bright for this team,” added the Stevenage champion.