Lewis Hamilton is reportedly pushing for a ‘clause’ to be included in his new Mercedes contract with a new £50million deal close to being agreed. It was originally suggested that the contract Hamilton signed back in 2021 could potentially be his last in F1.
The British racing superstar indicated in the past that he wouldn’t want to be driving in the sport into his 40s. But he appeared to have a change of heart in 2022, during Mercedes’ woeful campaign where Hamilton failed to win a single race.
Talks had begun over a contract extension from 2024 with Toto Wolff claiming Hamilton could realistically drive in F1 for another five years. Those negotiations stalled through the New Year and Mercedes’ poor start to the 2023 campaign, coupled with Hamilton’s frustrations at the car design, led to suggestions he could walk away.
Ferrari emerged as surprise contenders to steal Hamilton away from Mercedes with the likes of Martin Brundle and Eddie Jordan pushing for the switch to happen. But Hamilton and Wolff have insisted that their plans are still to continue together and it appears as though an agreement could be on the horizon.
According to the Daily Mail, Hamilton is closing in on signing a multi-year contract extension. It’s said that Hamilton’s new deal will be worth £50m a year, which would trump Max Verstappen’s yearly salary with Red Bull.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
The report also suggests this will be Hamilton’s final contract in F1 as special ‘clauses’ will be included that will see him become a ‘Mercedes ambassador’ once he retires. It means Mercedes won’t have to worry about finding Hamilton’s eventual replacement for a few years still.
Negotiations were started back up after the Spanish Grand Prix with Hamilton hopeful of a breakthrough in talks. “I haven’t signed anything yet, but I think we are meeting with Toto tomorrow [Monday] so hopefully we can get something done,” Hamilton said.
“It wasn’t a subtle hint. We’ve had so many meetings and this is just another one of the meetings we are having. You could see today my performance is not affected by that, but it’s always something that’s at the back of your mind.
“Once that’s done then you are able to then focus more and think about the future. I’m working as hard as I can with this team and I see so much strength within the team. They are still so hungry.”