Lewis Hamilton’s contract has been a much-discussed topic in recent weeks, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has now spoken on the topic as well, revealing that the deal is “emotionally” done.
The seven-time World Champion’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the 2023 season and has been a situation of much scrutiny, with both Wolff and Hamilton hinting that an extension is imminent.
Talking to Sky Sports F1 during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, a race Hamilton has won a record-equalling eight times, Wolff made a revelation about the state of negotiations with his driver.
“The status is we haven’t signed it [the contract] but emotionally we have done it,” the Austrian revealed.
Earlier this month at the Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff revealed that the discussions were no longer about the financial aspects of the contract.
“This is not a money discussion at all. It is about the future, what is it that we want to do right and optimise?”
Hamilton himself previously revealed that he was close to signing a new deal with his team, stating that it would take “half an hour” after commenting on it during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
Talking to the media on Thursday ahead of the grand prix, Hamilton stated that he expects an agreement on his contract to be completed soon, but he’s not been involved in all the steps of the process.
“I’ve been removed from it from the beginning,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to focus on all the other things I have going on. The team has been working on it in the background. There’s no negotiation left. It’s just all the small bits.”
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