The Champ turns 38 today, January 7, 2023, but still is undecided about his future. The Birthday boy is not sure if he will stay or leave his long-time home, Mercedes. It is not yet clear if Lewis Hamilton will have a contract extension for a year or perhaps a multi-year deal with Mercedes. But he still has one more year with Mercedes, and then there are rumors. Is there any chance he may think of changing his team and joining Red Bull, returning to Maclaren, or perhaps acting on the possible retirement he hinted at a few times?
Reportedly, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko feels the Mercedes men, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are bigger threats than Ferrari. He explained that “When strategy and reliability are concerned, Mercedes has a bigger advantage than Ferrari.” So it’s quite evident how much respect Red Bull has for Hamilton’s team. So, they might grow wings if someday Hamilton announces that he wishes to join Red Bull. That’s when their wildest dream would come true!
How Does Lewis Hamilton’s Future Look Like With Mercedes?
Fans last year witnessed something surprising when Lewis Hamilton did not win a single race in a year in his career. Champ struggled as well as the Silver Arrows who managed to win one solitary race in Brazil with George Russell. With the team’s failure this last season, speculations have been made about the team’s and Hamilton’s unhappiness within the group.
All these speculations are regarding the worst possible scenario when or if the Champ decides to step down and look for other career objectives.
In Mexico City, the F1 Champ spoke to the reporters after qualifying and expressed his goals for the future. He said, “Physically and mentally, I feel great. But certainly don’t know what the next five years hold for all of us. I am looking forward to being here in F1 for a long time as we, as a team, have a lot more goals to achieve.” Lewis Hamilton sounded hopeful about a production company he had launched that week.
Champ suggested that he would sign a multi-year contract with his team. Generally, Lewis Hamilton would never raise this idea as he always leaves these negotiations for the last minute. This works as a tactic to extract the most leverage from his team. But this change of timing in raising the idea perhaps can be linked to his desire to finish his career with the team he won so much.
He has been at the peak of his career for 15 years in F1 motorsport. Lewis might also want to end it with the team that helped him get here. The Mercedez chief, Toto Wolff, suggested in a podcast interview that there is no reason why the Mercedes team should not extend Lewis Hamilton’s contract, albeit “there is no firm deadline.”