Formula 1: When will Lewis Hamilton sign a new contract?

Lewis Hamilton is in the final season of his contract with Mercedes. When will he sign a new deal for the 2019 Formula 1 season and beyond?

Four-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is in the third and final season of his three-year contract with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, and he has yet to sign a new deal to remain with the team in future seasons. When, if at all, will he sign a new contract?

As of now, only two drivers have confirmed and publicly known contracts for the 2019 season. Those drivers are Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. Both of these drivers signed contracts last season to remain with their respective teams through the 2020 season.

As a result of this fact, there is a lot up in the air as far as next season’s driver lineup goes. But Hamilton’s situation with Mercedes is perhaps the most intriguing despite the fact that it is almost certain that he will end up signing a new contract to remain with the team.

More from Formula One

With 62 career Formula 1 victories to his name, Hamilton’s win total is second on the all-time wins list behind only the win total of Michael Schumacher, who won 91 Formula 1 races over the course of his career.

With four career Formula 1 championships to his name, Hamilton’s championship total is tied for third on the all-time titles list behind only the championship totals of Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio, who won seven and five Formula 1 championships over the course of their careers, respectively.

While Hamilton has stated that he is not focused on chasing down Schumacher’s records and there has even been talk of him retiring in the near future, there is a chance that he will end up having a shot to not only tie but break both Schumacher’s wins and championships records.

It’s hard to see him not caring about breaking these records when all is said and done.

The key questions at this point are when will Hamilton sign his new contract, if at all, and will that new contract give him enough time to reach and potentially break those records before he retires?

Here is what Hamilton had to say about the matter, according to Formula 1.

"“The next contract is probably the most important one of my career. The last contract was the most important up until that point and then next one will be even more important than the last one. Also the length, your decision to how long you want to commit to being in F1 is becoming more and more important moving forwards for me being I’m at the latter end of my career.“There is no rush and I will not be rushed into it. Ultimately, you want to have all of the information so you can make the most knowledgeable decision, I guess. It’s quite an interesting time for Formula 1. Tomorrow, there’s some sort of announcement or discussions of what is happening in F1 moving forward.“It’s always good to wait to hear some of those and see the future of F1. It’ll be interesting to see what is happening with F1 as I am an integral part of it so it’ll be great to know how it will all sit for us.“It’s actually come at a pretty good time because I still haven’t put pen to paper so I think it’s good for the team and good for us. I think it’s important we do take our time because you should never rush anything. The team is not saying they are talking to other drivers. I’ve never ever, since I’ve been with the team, gone and spoken to another team.”"

Next: Top 10 most unbreakable records across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar

When do you believe that Lewis Hamilton will sign a new contract to remain with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport in Formula 1, and do you think that contract will give him enough time to reach and potentially break Michael Schumacher’s all-time wins and championships records?

Home/Formula One