F1: Contract Negotiations Between Lewis Hamilton & Mercedes Stalled

Spanish news website, Marca is reporting that the contract negotiations between Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff have reportedly been stalled because of the disastrous Monaco Grand Prix where the 7-time world champion finished P7 and struggled throughout the weekend. Wolff who is now a 33 per cent owner in the Mercedes F1 project, having renewed his contract as CEO for another three years, has reportedly been given a June deadline for the closing negotiations with Hamilton who in recent years has become the most successful driver in the history of F1.

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have formed the most successful partnership in F1 history
Photo Credit: AFP

In 2020, Hamilton and Wolff famously stalled contract negotiations only to come up with a 1-year deal for 2021, which was also confirmed just weeks before pre-season testing. The plan was to get 2021 out of the way and work towards a longer-term arrangement through the season.

The Mercedes W12 seemed at sea through the Monaco GP weekend

Discussions had started but the Monaco GP has left a sour taste considering even Valtteri Bottas retirement because of a freak pitstop issue. Hamilton came out criticising Mercedes saying that he couldn't have performed better despite his teammate qualifying in P2 significantly ahead of him. Hamilton also claimed that his team had not given him the right car as the car didn't take into the Briton's driving style.

Hamilton also lost the lead of the world drivers championships while his team lost the lead of the constructor's championship. The race at Monaco was one of the rare races which didn't feature the dominant team from Brackley in the top five.