Jenson Button believes there's only one reason behind Lewis Hamilton delaying his signing of a new contract with Mercedes: the need to gauge the level of performance of the team's new W14.
Last month, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed that contract talks had been initiated between himself and Hamilton.
The Austrian also said that he was certain that the seven-time world champion and Mercedes remained aligned in their ambitions for the future, and that a new agreement would only take "a few hours" to put in place.
A new deal would inevitably put to rest the media's speculation and provide Hamilton with peace of mind. Button therefore wonders why a new deal hasn't been inked and suggests that Hamilton is holding out, eager to first get a clear reading on his team's performance level.
Bitten last season by Mercedes' poor campaign, the Briton is taking a cautious approach to his future, aware that fighting for crumbs at the top of F1's mid-field would be of no interest to him.
"It has to be that, right?", Button said, speaking to the Telegraph.
"Why otherwise would you leave it this late? He knows how annoying we all are asking [about his future].
"I mean, we’ve got to ask the question, but he’s going to hate answering it over and over and over and over again. It can only be because he’s wondering how competitive they will be.
"Is he going to sign if the car is uncompetitive because he wants it to be quick again before he retires? Or is he thinking ‘If it’s not better, I’m just going to retire’. Who knows?"
Last year, Hamilton was outscored by team mate George Russel in the drivers' championship, although the Briton had mitigating circumstances to justify his relative shortfall.
This season, Button sees another close battle unfolding between the pair of black arrow drivers.
"I think it’s a great fight," said the 2009 F1 world champion. "You know, they’re both so talented. One’s obviously got more world championships than anyone else.
"But George, you know, he’s just great, he really is. In terms of his driving, in terms of his engineering skills. I think he’s a great talent."
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