Lewis Hamilton was set to become the GOAT of Formula 1, surpassing Michael Schumacher and others, until Max Verstappen struck back. The Dutchman delayed his aspiration of becoming an eight-time champion in 2021. And from the looks of it, he can put it back inside the cupboard for a while. Why so? Because of his boss Toto Wolff’s statement, which has set an estimated time required to catch up with Red Bull.

Undoubtedly, Red Bull is in a league of its own. The dominance at this point seems to have buried Mercedes. Toto Wolff recently expressed his belief that Red Bull can win all the races. Now, continuing the pessimism, which is no longer a bluff, the Silver Arrows boss banks on Red Bull’s slow progress as there’s less to gain for them compared to Mercedes.

As quoted by Racing News 365, Toto Wolff said, “I think the lag is probably between six and 12 months, because that’s the time it really took for us to figure out what was actually happening with the [2022] car.”

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He continued, “That means we just need to double the development speed, a stronger development slope which the logic and rationale speaks for it, that we could have [it]. [Red Bull’s] gains are going to be incrementally smaller if their concept is mature. Aero-wise, wind tunnel time can help a bit but not hugely, and we’ve just got to get our act together.”

The timeline itself appears to be highly optimistic. With Lewis Hamilton’s contract coming to an end at Mercedes, the championship might not even come here. And with reduced chances of renewal, it could be that the car gets readied after he departs.

The contract troubles of Lewis Hamilton

Troubles at Mercedes aren’t just limited to the car. With that, for Toto Wolff, there’s one more challenge, and that is the contract renewal of Lewis Hamilton. While earlier the deal appeared fairly straightforward, recent developments have brought a change in the dynamics.

Lewis’s recent statements against the team brought the change in as the ‘no-blame’ culture reached its end. However, despite all this, Lewis said, as per Bleacher Report, “So there is no hold up with our contract,” he said. “I’ve always been very, very relaxed. I don’t feel like I’ve got to get it done right this second. I’m in a very fortunate position. It’ll get done when we’re ready.”

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From the expert’s viewpoint, the Brit’s desire to see progress in the W14 in the coming weeks is the cause of the delay. With Imola said to be the first upgrade, he’ll keep his options open until then. The record-eighth championship is still his primary goal.