F1 legend Jenson Button has shared his theory on Lewis Hamilton and a new Mercedes contract.
The 38-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of the season and the Silver Arrows are confident the sporting icon will sign a new deal. But with less than a week to go before the season curtain-raiser in Bahrain, the seven-time world champion has not yet given a clear indication as to when he will put pen to paper.
Following the woes he suffered last year, Button, a former teammate of Hamilton’s, believes his compatriot is waiting to see how competitive Mercedes will be in 2023 before committing to a new deal. “It has to be that right?” the 2009 world champion told The Telegraph. “Why otherwise would you leave it this late? He knows how annoying we all are asking [about the contract].
“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?”
Another former F1 world champion weighed in the subject, with Damon Hill suggesting Hamilton may already be considering retirement as the contract stand-off continues. Writing for The Telegraph, the 1996 world champion said: “How does a driver know when it’s time to go?
“If this is not a question Lewis Hamilton is pondering very hard at the moment, as he prepares to begin his 17th season in Formula One, it is certainly one he’s going to be asked at an uncomfortably increasing rate as the clock ticks down on his stellar career. As far as we know, he has no contract for 2024. The game of ‘guess what number I’m thinking of’ will be being played between him and Toto Wolff as the races count down this season.
“If he wins that fiendishly elusive eighth world title, will he plant his flag on the summit of F1 record books and call it a day? Or if he doesn’t win, will he press on in hope, vain or otherwise?”
Following an indifferent first round of pre-season testing in Bahrain last week, Hamilton said Mercedes currently do not have the pace to match front-runners Red and Ferrari. However, he does believe his team are in a better position now than this time last year and the issue of bouncing has been eradicated.
Speaking after his final pre-season run in their 2023 challenger, the W14, Hamilton said : "It’s been an interesting few days. It’s never easy, it’s been a lot of discovery. I think the thing that I’ve been most impressed with is that this is my 11th year with the team, and everyone has shown up with the same mentality, working hard, no one has been complacent.
“I think everyone was distraught at the end of the test last year. None of us knew what was happening with the bouncing, where it came from, we had not seen it in the wind tunnel. We were meant to bring a 1.5 second upgrade, and we couldn’t use it. So, that was difficult. I think everyone left with their head in their hands. But, we got over it and we pushed through, and we had an amazing year of just hustling and just everyone grafting.
“This year we have some things we need to work on. It’s still not perfect, and we are still not able to match the Red Bulls currently, or the Ferraris maybe. But, as I said, it is better.”
He added: “There are things that have changed. The bouncing has gone, and there are a couple of elements that have been better so far. Who knows where we will be next week. We've just got to stay positive, manifest what we want, and continue to push.”
