Good question. And yes, as it's either the ability to drive, or the ability to pay. Bottas has neither ability.
Just doing his own thing, not saying much...training in isolation in the Colorado mountains is funny way 'stay in the headlines.' Truth of course is Hamilton is box office...and the tabloid press (both F1 and otherwise) need to fill the pages - so bored journalists and passe pundits have really nothing else to talk about. It's a way for them to stay in the headlines...
Wolff: Hamilton will sign "soon" - but not a 3-year contract Hamilton does not get a three-year contract Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is unlikely to sign a three-year contract with Mercedes. "I don't think so," said Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff in an exclusive interview with RTL / ntv. Because of the budget cap that has been in force since this year and the new F1 rules from 2022, the team has to "keep your eyes open", according to the Austrian. However, Hamilton will "soon" sign a new working paper and also drive for the Silver Arrows in 2021, assured Wolff. In the end, there must be a "sensible agreement and we are not far from it". Wolff explains in the video what makes the negotiations so complicated. Relationship with Hamilton not damaged Soon it will be a "flexible term", said Wolff with a smile. The contract will be "dry" by the first test drives in Bahrain in mid-March at the latest. The Mercedes team boss contradicted rumors that his relationship with Hamilton had suffered from the contract poker. "Our relationship is not only professional, but also a friendship. Lewis is incredibly important, not only for our team, but also for the Mercedes brand." But, according to Wolff: "The landscape is currently changing." Does Mercedes have to make compromises? Hamilton and Mercedes have been negotiating a new contract for months. Points of contention should be Hamilton's salary (previously around 40 million euros a year) and the 36-year-old's demand for financial stakes in the Mercedes team. According to media reports, there was also a crunch between the poker parties in terms of contract duration. Accordingly, Mercedes was not ready to fulfill Hamilton's request for a new three-year contract - and has thus prevailed, according to Wolff. The question is whether Mercedes has to make compromises elsewhere, and if so: which ones? Hamilton chases the eight Hamilton can win his eighth world title this year. He would overtake Michael Schumacher and would be the sole record world champion. Last season, Hamilton had set the record for the now 52-year-old. Hamilton celebrated six of his seven World Cup triumphs in a Mercedes, and when he won his first World Cup in 2008, his McLaren was powered by at least one Mercedes engine. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.rtl.de/cms/lewis-hamilton-formel-1-weltmeister-bekommt-bei-mercedes-laut-toto-wolff-keinen-3-jahresvertrag-4693325.html&prev=search&pto=aue
I say Lewis signs a 1 year contract and he gets 8 WDC titles and Mercedes gets 8 WCC titles and THAT'S IT for Lewis...he's done.
I'll say a 1-year deal to check that he likes the new formula and hopes to win the 8th WDC. If that goes to plan... A further 2-year deal would give him the chance at being the first into double digits for title numbers before retiring from the top. Then he's done. I don't think he'll go any further than 3 years, whatever happens. He'll have nothing left to prove and I think he'll want to retire from near the top of his game rather than see his status fade into the pack. All the best, Andrew.
Cerainly a Tifosi probably would not ! However: a F1 fan would a Merc fan would a Lewis fan would a McLaren fan would a fan rooting for Vettel to fail would (at least the first 1/2)
Because it's the pinacle of motor racing, with the best cars and the best drivers. 2020 was a fantastic year, and 2021 sould be at least the same.
We know Lewis would win yet again BUT: 1) Max vs Perez and Bottas....possibly Lewis. 2) Ricciardo vs Norris 3) Seb vs Stroll 4) Leclerc vs Sainz 5) Gasly vs Tsunoda 6) Schumacher vs Mazepin 7) Alonso vs Ocon Should be an interesting 2021 year with the drivers...also because it's F1. It's not like before the turbo hybrid era but it is what it is.
We don't share the same definition of 'fantastic'. 2020 was one of the most boring seasons ever. I would consider the MotoGP 2020 season interesting. F1 was dull. You can't call that a sport.
It WAS the pinnacle of motor racing. The silly rules under Todt have reduced that. The brand still retains its cachet and continues to survive for now at least.[/QUOTE]
It would make sense for Mercedes to give him only 1 year, everybody wins... I don't get the fuss about Hamilton playing hardball and not signing just whatever contract put in front of him. He is a record-breaking champion, he did not get to that place by compromising and not trying to get 100% out of everything he does. Remember, he never said he wanted to take a pay-cut, just that he did not want to negotiate during the pandemic... But yeah, haters gonna hate right
Good for Hamilton if he gets what he wants. But he is negotiating is a different atmosphere than last time. An uncompromising attitude may not pay off in the end. It would be a pity for him to leave F1 under these circumstance, IMO.
New deals seems agreed 2 years: 1) More money (I thought it wasn't right for him to negotiate for more money during these perilous times for many, including Mercedes laying off so many?) 2) veto on teammate (I thought he said he wanted a more competitive teammate?) Captain contradiction at it again! https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/145144/hamilton-could-quiet-critics-with-verstappen-teammate https://www.racefans.net/2020/08/06/hamilton-not-comfortable-signing-new-contract-amid-mass-job-losses/
Pretty poor basis for your assertions, again, he mentions the timing is not right. Fast forward a few months, times change, the news about people losing their jobs has subsided et voila: the signing everybody knew was going to happen. And an interview where he responds on a journo's question about having Verstappen as a teammate: could be good, could be bad, just as with anybody. Oh wow, you really caught the hypocrit Lewis saying one thing and doing another! Believe what you want, but don't try to back up your sentiments with proof if it does not apply, no need to rationalize sympathies or antipathies.
So Lewis raking in (too) much money on the same day as people losing their job at the same company is morally wrong, but perfectly OK a few months later?
Insider: Mercedes and Hamilton reach agreement Image Unavailable, Please Login News is making the rounds on the insider scene that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have reached an agreement on a new contract Finally, they seem to be driving onto the finish straight … According to information from F1-Insider.com, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton (37) have come to an agreement after a long wrangling. World champion Hamilton, so far without a contract in 2021, is to sign a one-year contract with an option for a second season. The salary is to remain the same (an estimated 40 million euros per year). Mercedes, however, is making a step towards Hamilton on the financial side: According to our information he can market two advertising spaces on his helmet and overall himself. Verstappen-clause in Hamilton’s contract? There is also talk of a clause stating that the Briton will have a say when it comes to future teammates. In the scene, people are already openly talking about a “Verstappen clause”. The reason: It’s an open secret that Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (23) is on Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff’s future wish list. The clause is a compliment for Verstappen, because it shows Hamilton’s respect for him. One thing is certain: Formula 1 protagonists will breathe a sigh of relief when the deal is announced in the next few weeks. Former team boss Eddie Jordan (72) tells F1-Insider.com: “Lewis is the superstar of the scene. Formula 1 absolutely needs him.” Jordan also thinks it’s right for Mercedes to make concessions: “Asking for ten percent of the team’s revenue is absurd, you can’t do that because everyone is replaceable. But for Lewis, for example, to get a share of the TV money, I think that’s perfectly justifiable. He sells Formula 1 by far the most worldwide. I also think it’s good that he has the right to market himself. For example, he lured a top sponsor like Tommy Hilfiger to Mercedes. For that, any ordinary agent would have gotten ten percent.” Image Unavailable, Please Login Hamilton is a great personality in the sport The news will also come as a relief to rights holder Liberty. Sports boss Ross Brawn made it clear just a few days ago: “We want Lewis to continue. He is a great personality in the sport. He got people thinking – especially last year – about a number of issues that are very important. That has been invaluable.” Brawn continued: “Lewis is an influential character, he’s good for our sport and probably one of the few mega-stars we have in Formula One today.” The new deal with Mercedes also makes sense to the former Ferrari technical boss and Mercedes team boss. Brawn, who was instrumental in getting the now seven-time world champion to move from McLaren to Mercedes for 2013: “He wants to become the sole record world champion, and I think he has the best chance for that at Mercedes.” Mercedes is not commenting on speculations. https://f1-insider.com/en/formula1/news-hamilton-mercedes-contract-agreed/
Hamilton and Mercedes haters will be glad to hear that the FIA intends to penalise them from this season, reducing the chance of maintaining their success. The limit on aero work introduced will mean that Mercedes will be allowed 22% less wind tunnel time during the season than Ferrari, for instance.
