Hamilton 'proud' to see Wolff remain at Mercedes helm

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Lewis Hamilton has yet to renew his allegiance to Mercedes, but the seven-time world champion is "proud and grateful" to see team boss Toto Wolff remain at the helm of the Brackley squad.

Earlier this week, Mercedes announced that Wolff had extended his contract as team principal of the championship winning outfit for an additional three years, a decision communicated along with the news that Mercedes partner INEOS is set to become a 33 per cent shareholder of the F1 team alongside Daimler and Wolff.

Speaking at Friday's FIA Prizegiving Ceremony where he was officially celebrated as F1's 2020 World Champion, Hamilton said that he had yet to start in earnest his contract talks with Wolff.

©Mercedes

"We haven’t started the conversation, Toto and I plan to do that over the coming days, we’ve been moving quite a bit over the past days, travel-wise," Hamilton said.

"But otherwise on the super super plus side I’m really proud and grateful to see Toto signing, he’s such an important leading figure within this team, and the success that we have achieved would not have been possible without him."

Wolff still not putting 'special date' on Hamilton contract

Hamilton praised the Austrian for his commitment to Mercedes in F1, insisting the future continues to look bright for the sport's dominant competitor.

"He is such a great figurehead and I think that the team is better for it to have that longevity," he added. "And it’s great to see the commitment from Mercedes.

"And then the added bonus of having INEOS, who came in this year and have been a part of our success this year, it’s great to see they’re going to be part of this team and help with the stability of this team moving forwards, in growing to be better.

"It’s going to take a big push from us to continue to raise the bar in this organisation as I think we’ve done such a great job over these past years, but I think the right people are in the right place and it looks good, the future looks bright for this team I think."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.