‘Looking to Improve, Both on and Off the Track’ – Lewis Hamilton Reflects on New Mercedes F1 Contract

Mid-way through the 2020 season, Rumors were flooding the social media with Lewis Hamilton potentially opting for retirement. Well, fortunately, none of those claims turned out to be true.

The seven-time world champion will remain a part of the grid for another season and will continue racing for the commanding Mercedes AMG F1 team.

The Briton ignited his relationship with Mercedes back in 2013, and it just looks to be a never-ending tale. 2021 will be his ninth season with the team. Furthermore, he will also line up alongside the Finn driver, Valtteri Bottas, for the fifth straight season.

Lewis recently won his seventh world championship title with a massive lead over his teammate. In the process, the Briton also secured a whopping 11 race wins out of the 18-race weekend calendar, and three podiums as well.

“I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates. Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track” Hamilton said, reflecting on the new deal.

“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport.

“I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”

Lewis Hamilton could face more threats in 2021

Considering Lewis’s recent form, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he continues his domination through 2021 as well. Hence, a record-breaking eighth championship title is definitely on cards.

However, it might just not be that easy for Lewis this time. Ever since the Sakhir GP, Bottas has been under threat of losing out his seat to George Russell in the near future.

2021 could very much be his final season for Mercedes if he yet again underperforms. Hence, with pretty much nothing to lose, Bottas will take his fight to the team’s lead driver, hoping for a positive outcome.

The Finn has always proved to be a decent driver on several occasions. However, Lewis’ domination has overshadowed his performances more often than not.

Overall, it is looking more likely that Lewis will face a hard fight from Bottas in 2021. Apart from the potential teammate battle, Red Bull, too, are looking quite dangerous; there is the obvious Max Verstappen.

So, will Lewis dodge the bullets and lift his eighth title come 2021? Only time will tell.