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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIa: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Mercedes GP Executive Director Toto Wolff on stage for the F1 Live event during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on March 13, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIa: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Mercedes GP Executive Director Toto Wolff on stage for the F1 Live event during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on March 13, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
The 2021 F1 season is less than a couple of months away from beginning in Bahrain. Yet Mercedes remains the only team to not announce their driver lineup. The reason being their failure to reach a contract agreement with Lewis Hamilton.
Talks are at a stalemate and it’s no longer a secret why – the Briton has made demands that the Daimler group deems unacceptable. According to reports, Hamilton wants to retain his base salary of 40 million euros per season despite the COVID-ravaged finances, causing most of the drivers on the grid to take a pay cut.
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NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Second placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on in parc ferme during the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone in Northampton, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
However, that isn’t the end of it. On top of it, he wishes to take a 10% cut of the prize money, should they win the World Title once again. He also wants a greater role in the team’s electric division. The Daimler Group apparently gave Toto Wolff the responsibility to negotiate the contract within some constraints.
But, according to Motorsports, Toto made promises that he now cannot keep to Hamilton. Daimler AG’s president, Ola Kallenius, is not willing to free up extra funds for him. Otherwise, they would have sealed the deal by now.
The Contract duration not an issue with Lewis Hamilton as originally reported
The original reports stated that the Briton demanded a lengthy contract. He desired a three or four-year deal instead of a more sensible two-year deal. And understandably, Mercedes doesn’t want to commit itself to more than a couple of years with him considering his age and the new regulations that may potentially reset the order of the grid in 2022.
However, the main obstacle is not the time period of the agreement. He is willing to put pen to paper on a two-year deal like his previous one. 2021 confirmed, with an option to extend for 2022.
So what happens now?
Team Principal Toto Wolff broke out of his shell recently and hinted at an announcement sooner or later. The two parties want to continue their successful partnership. And they are giving themselves the time until the pre-season starts in Bahrain to reach an agreement.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 30: Pole position qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on November 30, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
It would be a major travesty if we see any other driver next to Valtteri Bottas other than Hamilton. He is gunning for a record eight-world title to overtake Michael Schumacher from the top of the pile. So, this is not how he should be denied a shot at recreating history.
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