Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, is adamant that Sir Lewis Hamilton can stay with the team beyond the end of his current contract next year and win more titles.
The Briton signed his current deal in 2021, but uncertainty loomed at the start of this year following the controversy of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.
The seven-time champion has since conceded that he was not completely certain of his future during the off-season, but he has returned this year and scored six podiums.
However, neither he nor new team-mate, George Russell, have won a race yet in 2022, and time is running out for Hamilton to maintain his record of winning in every season.
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With how this year has gone, there has been natural speculation as to how long he wants to carry on racing, and Mercedes’ form next year will surely be imperative to the 103-time race winner’s future.
The Silver Arrows have shown significant signs of improvement since the early races of the season, and they have constantly displayed, time and time again, that they are not a group of individuals who will give up easily.
In Monza, Hamilton asserted that he is not planning on leaving Mercedes any time soon, so it would appear the German side are locked into their current driver line-up which, so far, has worked very well indeed.
Wolff has now reiterated that his driver is still committed to the cause, and is not planning on walking away in the immediate future.
“I am absolutely certain that Lewis can win the eighth world title with us,” he said, per the Mirror.
“He is not going to go elsewhere, and if we can provide a car that is competitive and he can fight for wins, he is going to win more titles. For him, retirement is still far away.”
The Austrian uses Alpine’s Fernando Alonso as an example of a driver, much like Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher in recent years, that has continued to race competitively beyond expectations.
“But he asks himself, ‘am I still happy with my performances?’ And once he comes to the conclusion that he is not, he will be the first one to say that is it,” explained Wolff.
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“But I have no doubt that we will be extending. The science today can make sports people, if they are disciplined, go much longer than in the past.
“Look at Fernando Alonso. He is 41, and he is still mega so no doubt, there are many years left in Lewis.”
Hamilton finished ninth, and Russell 14th, in a disappointing, error-strewn race for Mercedes in Singapore last time out.