15 months ago, Lewis Hamilton put pen to paper on a new contract with Mercedes, a fact that might slip one’s mind as he nears a potential move to Ferrari. There are only three races left before he says goodbye to the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton was disappointed that Mercedes did not display higher levels of dedication during negotiations. He has achieved an unprecedented feat by winning six world championships for the team.
However, Toto Wolff desired the opportunity to separate from Hamilton by the conclusion of 2024. Maybe it was because he was focused on Max Verstappen, or because he didn’t want to hinder Kimi Antonelli’s progress.
Ultimately, the individual behind the wheel, not the team, triggered the termination clause. Wolff went after Verstappen but recognized that Antonelli was the most practical choice.
Some may say that Mercedes’ caution is justified by Hamilton’s performances this year. For the first time in his career, he is set to end up finishing lower than sixth place in the world championship.
George Russell has similarly beaten him 16-5 in qualifying. His collaboration with Charles Leclerc will reveal if his difficulties were due to the constraints of the Mercedes W15, or a more general decline.
Mercedes’ decision to sign George Russell indicated their diminishing trust in Lewis Hamilton.
In a video on his YouTube channel, ex-F1 team boss Peter Windsor identified the point when Mercedes’ belief in Hamilton began to diminish. He follows it to when Russell si
gned.
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