Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that he's held initial talks with Lewis Hamilton about extending his current two-year contract with the team which expires at the end of 2023.
Wolff said last month that he was certain he and Hamilton remained aligned in their ambitions for the future, and that a new agreement would only take "a few hours" to put in place.
On Wednesday, at Mercedes' official 2023 launch event unveiling the brand new W14 contender, Wolff told the media that there was still no rush to get into detailed discussions.
“We’ve had a first chat, but I don’t want to commit to any timeline because it’s not important for him nor for us at that stage," he said. “It runs a full year, and we’re going to find the right time.
“We’ve done a few of these contracts in the past, and they change little from iteration to iteration. It’s not usually complex apart from the obvious terms,” he added.
Previous negotiations have been held as late as after the end of the season, just weeks before the existing contract expired, in order to keep the focus on the championship.
However the current contract was decided somewhat earlier, so that questions about it from the media didn't become a distraction during Hamilton's epic battle with Max Verstappen that went down to the wire in 2021.
“We’ve always found good solutions that reflect his value for the team," said Wolff. "On the other side, I think Mercedes is the place [Lewis] wants to be. These things have never been a contentious point.
"It was no problem to sort things out over the winter before actually going racing, because it was always clear they were going to do that.
"This is going to be a journey that will continue," Wolff insisted, denying that Hamilton's age - at 38, he'll be the second oldest driver on the F1 grid this year - "plays no role" in the discussions.
"Look at how well top athletes in the world have pushed the boundaries," he said. "I’m thinking about [NFL quarterback] Tom Brady - who is 44, 45 - and he’s on the pitch throwing a ball and being tackled."
And Wolff is certain that Mercedes' sudden slump in performance last season won't send the driver window shopping around other teams in the paddock to see if there is anything better on offer.
"He knows what he has with the team,” he said. “We won eight constructors’ titles in a row. I’m not saying anything you don’t know, and we got it wrong last year.
“I don’t think it plays on Lewis’s mind any doubt that the team can perform," he insisted. "The resource, the capability is there, and we just need to continue to develop like we’ve done last season."
And in a curious footnote to Wednesday's launch event, Wolff revealed that he coveted something more from Hamilton than just a signature on a new contract.
"Ooh, nice new shoes," Hamilton commented about Wolff's footwear choice today in an exchange picked up by Sky Sports F1 cameras, to which his boss replied: "You know who these shoes are from?"
When Hamilton said he didn't, Wolff explained: "They forgot my shoes for the photoshoot, so I liked them. They were under your rack!"
Hamilton thought he had the last laugh by replying, "It's a better look than the loafers!" only for team mate George Russell to wander by and quip: "I liked the loafers..."
There were more fun and games when Wolff was talking about the role of Mick Schumacher who joins the team in 2023 as test and reserve driver, meaning it would be his role to sit-in for Hamilton and Russell in the event of illness.
“I hope these guys don’t have fish poisoning, but in any case [Mick] deserves to be in the car," Wolff commented.
But Hamilton, as a vegan, shot back: “I don’t eat fish." However Hamilton once again missed out on the final line, with Wolff quickly responding: “Avocado poisoning!"
On this evidence, the contract negotiations when they do happen should be a laugh a minute. Expect Netflix to sign up the sitcom rights any moment.
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