Lewis Hamilton lost his golden touch back in 2021 when a narrow margin separated him from the current two-time world champion. It was an exciting finish to a great season, but it saw the dominant force of Mercedes loses its throne to the new power of Red Bull. They got back their dominance of Formula One after a long time. From 2014 to 2020, the Silver Arrows had a stronghold on the driver’s and constructor’s championships with Lewis Hamilton at the peak of his game. But unfortunately for Mercedes, it’s time for complete dominance of Red Bull and Max Verstappen. So what is in store for the seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton? According to the ongoing contract, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have another year to go.
But what if the Brackley-based team does not sign a new contract with the Legendary racer? A rumor regarding the contract extension had been circulating in the media for quite a while. According to the rumor, Mercedes and Hamilton are planning to extend their connection for another decade or even more. There is speculation that perhaps Lewis Hamilton may retire after a couple of years. Then he would stay part of the Mercedes family as a brand ambassador and would earn a mammoth sum between $400 million and $500 million for the next twelve years. But no such contract exists as of yet.
The question arises, will there be another contract after the end of the 2023 season signed between the team and the seven-time champion? If not, what are the replacement options Mercedes has got?
Son of the legend Michael Schumacher, Mick has been in consideration as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton for a long time. Lando Norris of McLaren is another viable option for Toto Wolff’s team. According to Karun Chandhok, the chances of Norris replacing his fellow countryman in the Mercedes team are very high.
Karun Chandhok’s Prediction On The Future Of Lewis Hamilton
As per this F1 Analyst of Sky Sports, Lando Norris can become the number one pick of Mercedes. However, this can happen only on one condition, if and when the Legend Hamilton retires from Formula One Motorsport. The Sky Sports analyst spoke to Autosport and mentioned, “I don’t see Lando Norris moving to Red Bull. And becoming their second driver after the Dutchman. Ferrari is pretty well sorted with their two drivers. Hence, the best option for Norris is to move to Mercedes. After Hamilton retires as George Russell is there for the long run”.
Furthermore, he added, “Norris is not going to stay forever with McLaren. On the other hand, McLaren would love to keep Norris as long as possible. However, if the worst thing happens, Lewis Hamilton suddenly decides to hang up his helmet. Maybe because he feels ‘it is over’ for him. Then what would Mercedes do?”
If Karun is correct, then obviously, Lando Norris is the go-to guy for Mercedes. Since his debut back in 2019, Norris has had an impeccable record. He beat his previous teammate and the current third driver of Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo, an amazing seventeen times in the last year. The 23-year-old Belgian-British racer also won a podium finish in Imola even when his team was struggling a lot. The great Lewis Hamilton had praised the young talent of the McLaren team. And even called him a “great driver.” After both of them had a stunning fight at the Austrian Grand Prix back in 2021.