Hamilton’s impressive last lap in a tough race came with speculation over his future ongoing. He has been linked with a move to Ferrari, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff dropped the biggest hint yet that Hamilton will be retained as he envisions the Brit will stay as a driver on the team “for many years”.
However, with talks ongoing extending his F1 career, Hamilton’s latest comments on his “concerns” about Mercedes’ performance come at a notable time. It is clear his frustrations remain, despite Wolff hinting a new deal will happen.
“No, we’re not talking about an ambassadorial role post his retirement, nor is that part of the contract negotiations,” Wolff said before the race. “I think he has many years to go as a driver within this team and, therefore, it’s only about cleaning things up in the contract.
“I know it looks a little bit like ‘Why is this not being done and dusted?’ But it’s simply down to trivial things that just need to be cleaned up in contracts and we need the time.”
Despite Hamilton having worries about how things are going for the Silver Arrows, his fastest lap, and pole position in Hungary the previous week, show there are some signs of life. With talks ongoing, the team will hope that is enough to keep their main man around for a while longer.