Seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton has revealed that his future with Mercedes will be determined by only one year as he insists that there is no need to plan too far ahead.
The 36-year-old recently signed a contract with Mercedes after a long wait and the contract only covers the 2021 F1 season making it his ninth year with the German outfit. His 2022 campaign with Mercedes will be determined in the 2021 season as he targets to take an eighth driver’s title beating Michael Schumacher’s record.
There have been suggestions that if the Briton does not take the 2021 championship, it would be the best time for him to retire as he holds very many interests out of Formula 1.
With the launch of the W12 in which he will be campaigning for the 2021 world title, Hamilton aired his insights that he was not intending on strapping himself down with Mercedes on a multi-year deal. However, the Briton was non-commital on how long he intends to continue driving.
“I’m kind of in a fortunate position where I’ve achieved most of the stuff I’ve wanted to achieve up until this point, so there’s no real need necessarily to plan too far ahead in the future,” said Hamilton.
“I think we live in quite an unusual period of time in life and I just wanted one year – then we can talk about if we do more and keep adding [to] it if we have to.”
Team principal and Mercedes F1 co-owner Toto Wolff was also quizzed about Hamilton’s new deal, but more so on why it took so long to sign the contract.
“It is very simple, the explanation,” Wolff commented. “With Lewis there was a particular media attention on our contract negotiations.”
“It was actually quite funny because him and me, we are so aligned. While we were in the season we just didn’t have scope to spend enough time with each other to have that conversation.”
“We thought about doing it between the two Bahrain races, but then he fell ill and then we both went into our holidays. We talked, and then I had Covid so that delayed it.”
“Our conversations are really partners discussing, but it’s down to the details and then we felt now we have to close this conversation because the season is right in front of us.”
“We had been talking a lot about the future, about Lewis driving the car in the future, but also about our partnership going forward.”
“So we felt ‘let’s discuss this during the season when we can find more time.”
