Formula 1: New Lewis Hamilton contract rumor emerges
By Asher Fair
Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has reportedly signed a multi-year deal to continue competing for Mercedes.
The long-drawn-out Formula 1 contract saga of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes may very well be drawing to an end in the near future.
In fact, with the 23-race 2021 season scheduled to get underway next month and preseason testing just over a month away, it needs to.
Nothing has been confirmed just yet, but the latest rumor to emerge is that the seven-time world champion and 95-time race winner has signed a multi-year deal with the seven-time reigning constructor champions.
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Reports suggesting this to be the case have been cited by 1996 world champion and current Sky Sports pundit Damon Hill, furthering the belief that a deal is done but simply has not yet been announced by the team.
The Silver Arrows seat alongside Valtteri Bottas has been the lone remaining open seat on the 20-car 2021 grid for nearly two months now. Bottas signed a one-year extension back in August, a half-year ago.
There were supposedly multiple roadblocks in the contract negotiations between Hamilton and Mercedes, but both sides were adamant that they wanted to get a deal done.
It appears that this has now happened, and now all we need is the official confirmation from the Brackley-based team before the 2021 field is set.
The 36-year-old Briton is coming off of a season that saw him tie his career-high in wins with 11, despite the fact that the season was shortened from 22 races to 17 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that Hamilton himself missed a race after testing positive for COVID-19. He only failed to win five of his starts in 2020, a career-best.
With his seventh championship, he is now a four-time reigning champion, and he is tied with Michael Schumacher for the most titles in the history of Formula 1. He also surpassed Schumacher’s wins record of 91 last season, and he tied/broke several other records as well.
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Preseason testing is scheduled to take place at Bahrain International Circuit, the new site of the season opener following a pandemic restriction-related schedule change, from Friday, March 12 to Sunday, March 14. The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled to take place at the track on Sunday, March 28.