Toto Wolff has openly expressed his belief that Lewis Hamilton should consider leaving Mercedes to pursue his eighth title if the team cannot give him the car he needs “in a year or two”
Hamilton is in his final year of his current contract and is in talks with the team to negotiate a new deal, Wolff is “absolutely confident” that the British driver will stay with them for next year.
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The downfall of Mercedes in the wake of the new regulations has been puzzling to many, and something that the team have been outspoken with in admitting their mistakes.
Speculation about Hamilton’s future stems from the team’s recent struggles, and a new deal with Mercedes could be the last of his career for the 38-year-old
“He’s at the stage of his career where we trust each other, we’ve formed a great bond among each other, we have no reason to doubt each other even though this is a difficult spell.”
“As a driver, if he wants to win another championship he needs to make sure that he has the car, and if we cannot demonstrate that we can give him the car in the next couple of years then he needs to look everywhere,” he added, “I would have no grouch if that happens in a year or two.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
The season opener was a tough reality check for the Brackley based team, qualifying 6th with Russel and 7th with Hamilton, half a second away from Max Verstappen on pole.
The race was no better, despite making up places to come home 5th with Hamilton and 7th with Russell, the Red Bull’s ran away with the race and vanished from lights to flag.
“Since Bahrain, we have had open and honest discussions from which we started to plan our fight back. In the short term, leaving no stone unturned in the search for performance.
Toto Wolff
The success of Mercedes over the last decade has been synonymous with the Hamilton name, but Wolff knows that Lewis has to be somewhat selfish if he wants to achieve the illustrious eighth title to take him past Schumacher.
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Image Courtesy of Mercedes AMG F1