Formula One: Lewis Hamilton expected to sign a contract to remain with Mercedes
By Asher Fair
Four-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is expected to sign a contract to remain with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport beyond the 2018 season.
Four-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport runs through the 2018 season, which is set to be his 12th season in the sport dating back to his rookie season in 2007.
Without a new contract, Hamilton would become a free agent after six years of driving for the team in Formula One dating back to the 2013 season. There have even been rumors about him potentially retiring.
However, Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff says that is it only a matter of time until Hamilton, 33, signs a new contract to remain with the team beyond the 2018 season. It is essentially a matter of when, not if.
Plus, those retirement rumors seemed to have been shot down when Hamilton himself said that he plans to stay in the sport for at least another three seasons, which would mean the earliest point at which he would retire would be following the conclusion of the 2020 season.
Here is what Wolff had to say about a new contract for Hamilton, according to ESPN.
More from Formula One
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
- Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
- Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
- Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points
"“Lewis has become such an important pillar within the team, it is a no-brainer that we continue with each other. The discussions are ongoing and with a very positive mind-set. It is just a matter of time, when we seal it and put the signature to the document.”"
Hamilton has driven in Formula One for 11 seasons and has racked up 62 victories, a total that is good for second on the all-time wins list behind only Michael Schumacher’s total of 91 wins, and four championships, a total that is tied for third on the all-time titles list behind only Schumacher’s total of seven titles and Juan Manuel Fangio’s total of five.
In his five seasons driving for Mercedes so far, Hamilton has racked up 43 victories and three championships. Of those 43 victories, 40 have come in the last four seasons, giving him the all-time wins record for any four-year span in Formula One history. His three championships that he has won driving for the team have all come in the last four seasons.
Next: Top 10 Formula One drivers of all-time
When will Lewis Hamilton get a new contract to continue driving for Mercedes in Formula One? How many years will this contract be for, and when will Hamilton eventually decide to retire?