Lewis Hamilton's new contract and what it'll mean for Mercedes

World champion Lewis Hamilton dropped another hint about his plans to remain in F1 after his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, and team principal Toto Wolff has suggested he expects his driver to sign a two-year contract.

   There was much speculation about Hamilton’s future in F1 after he signed a one-year contract with the team ludicrously late – he was the last driver to confirm his status, only agreeing in February of this year. However, the champion has now made clear that he hopes to have a deal done before the mandatory break begins after the Hungarian Grand Prix in August.

   After his victory at Barcelona, Hamilton said: “We never want to be in the position that we were in in January, in February. It ruined my whole winter and I'm sure it wasn't helpful for Toto [Wolff]'s, in terms of being out to be off and relaxed, so it felt like we didn't really have much of a break.

   “I think we have to be sensible. Naturally we don't have to rush anything, but I think we have to be sensible and start conversations. They're very complex, it's never a super simple procedure and so hopefully soon we can start, as long as it doesn't interfere the actual job.

   “We still have 19 races to do but it would be great to get something in place before the break so then we could, again, be in that break and have a clear picture of the future.”

   In the form he’s in, he knows (if you’ll pardon the pun) that he’s really in the driving seat in these discussions. Hamilton is a seven-time world champion, a joint record holder, and there’s talk of him racing well into his 40s. He’s currently 36, in his 15th season in F1, and Mercedes want to lock him down for as long as he wants to race.

   At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Wolff said he wanted to get on with sorting a new contract: “We learned our lessons that we wouldn't leave it to the Christmas holidays. We are in a very good place and our relationship is growing stronger every year and it's about time to really give it a little nudge and start to speak and this is what we are going to do soon.”

   On making it more than a one-year extension, Wolff said: “Yes, it should be [more than a year]. We don’t want to be in a stressful situation every single year where we are absolutely flat-out trying to win races and needing to negotiate. I would rather that doesn’t happen every year.

   “We just need to spend a day or two together, put it out there, and decide which are the difficult components. We will then lock the door and won’t walk out until it is sorted. That works best for us and it has worked best for us in the past.”

   It’s not anticipated that there will be any major barriers in the way in this negotiation – Hamilton wants to drive, and Mercedes want him to drive. Those whispered rumours about a potential move to Ferrari, a brand that all drivers want on their resume, are still just rumours – Mercedes still dominate the sport, and it’s hard to imagine Hamilton wanting to downgrade. The potential cap on drivers’ salaries is still being discussed, and they may prove an issue going forward if it’s passed – Hamilton is by far the highest-paid driver on the grid, with his salary around the limit being considered for both drivers on a team, despite taking a cut this season – but a two-year contract would throw that issue down the road.

   Perhaps the more interesting question, given that this signing is essentially inevitable, is who his teammate will be next year. Valtteri Bottas is also on a one-year contract and, despite fairly decent showings with the team, there’s a general feeling that he simply isn’t pulling his weight in comparison to his more successful teammate. Bottas doesn’t push Hamilton in the same way as Max Verstappen, and his form is clearly not as good, but the teammates’ relationship is unusually positive.

There have long been rumblings about Mercedes dropping Bottas and replacing him with Williams’ George Russell, who out-qualified Bottas at the Sakhir Grand Prix last season and was denied the win solely through uncharacteristic Mercedes’ sloppiness. Russell has long been touted as the future of the team – the question is whether the future will arrive in 2022.

   This is where we stand – expect Hamilton and Mercedes to get this contract signed soon, and keep your eyes on Bottas and Russell for the rest of the season. A poor showing by the former, or a great showing by the latter, may see changes in the Mercedes camp yet.