Lewis Hamilton has had a tough time in Formula 1 since he won his record equalling seventh world championship title in 2020.
A controversial safety car procedure saw the Brit miss out on a record breaking eighth world title on the final lap of the 2021 season, a heartbreak that Hamilton has claimed that is yet to fully recover from.
The 38-year-old returned to F1 for the 2022 season despite rumours that the Abu Dhabi controversy could see him walk away from the sport, only to be met by an uncompetitive W13.
Mercedes took the completely wrong path under the new regulations in 2022 and were uncompetitive until they managed to bring major upgrades to the US Grand Prix in Austin, having wasted half of the year trying to solve their major porpoising problem.
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Despite these tough two years for Hamilton, the seven-time world champion is set to sign a multi-year contract extension with Mercedes, as the Brit claims that he is now hungrier than ever to retake the F1 crown off of Max Verstappen.
With the 2023 season edging ever closer, no contract extension has been formally announced by the team, leading fans to worry about the future of Hamilton in F1.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has now reassured fans, claiming that Hamilton will certainly continue with Mercedes, meaning that official contract talks are at the bottom of the team’s agenda.
“Well, the job list is pretty long with what’s needed to be done,” Wolff told the Beyond the Grid podcast.
“Certainly, Lewis’s contract is one of the topics that we will tackles over the winter, but there is no firm deadline.
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“Absolutely Lewis is part of the team, and the team is part of Lewis. [There is] no reason not to continue.”
Hamilton has previously claimed that he had no intention of racing into his 40’s like Fernando Alonso, however he has now admitted that he dreams of retiring from motorsport as a world champion.
Mercedes have already fired up the W14 for the first time, with all sources from the team suggesting that they have learned from their 2022 shortcomings and are confident of returning to winning ways this year.