“That was Chess at the highest level”, said Nico Hulkenberg about Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s battle at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. No such battle exists in the present. But the 7x champion is now involved in a different game of chess with Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff. The major subject is the contract renewal for 2024 and beyond. Despite reaching an agreement on the $54 million contract, they now find themselves at an impasse. During such a phase, Hamilton has revealed his side of things about the “tensions” between the 2 parties.

The negotiations between the Silver Arrows and Hamilton for their partnership post-2023 have been going on for god knows how long now. Finally, it was reported that they had agreed upon a 2-year, $54 million a year contract. However, the matter then got stuck in relation to Hamilton’s contractual obligations to Mercedes’ sponsors.

With this new hurdle in the race to sign the contract, matters have seemed to get worse. But, apparently, Hamilton is feeling at complete ease in completing the due processes with Toto Wolff. “Toto is a great boss and Mercedes have supported me for such a long time,” Hamilton told Sky Italia, as quoted by SilverArrows.net. “I don’t feel that there is any tension between us. We trust each other. We have the same goals and we know that we can achieve them together.”

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Despite the large delay, the respect between the duo still seems to be intact. And judging by Hamilton’s statements around the Dutch GP weekend, he definitely has a driver’s seat for the next few years.

Lewis Hamilton confirms long-term racing involvement in Formula 1

The LH army is so badly waiting for confirmation on their idol’s contract finalization. The day seems not-so-far and far away at the same time. Though a concrete announcement is yet to be made, Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that his fans are going to be tired of seeing a lot of him in Formula 1 for the years to come.

Hamilton told Robb Report, “I still love racing. More than ever. I always feel I can be better. When I hit a limit, I love the challenge of figuring out how to strengthen my body to get past that. It’s that idea you can get better at everything. So I’m going to be here for a good chunk of time. You’re definitely going to get tired of me.”

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The relationship between him and Wolff remains unscathed. Moreover, his claims of sticking around in the paddock are music to our ears. They say ‘All’s well that ends well’. Let’s hope for something like that.