Lewis Hamilton’s contract talks with Mercedes will not be determined by the team’s upgrades for the rest of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The seven-time world champion is out of contract at the end of this season, and he has been in lengthy discussions with the team over extending his stay even further.
The upgrades Mercedes have brought so far this year have all worked more or less as expected, and Hamilton is insistent that the development of the car is not a factor in his contract negotiations.
“That’s not what I’m thinking,” Hamilton told media, including Total-Motorsport.com, at the British Grand Prix.
“We’re already well into the contract. I still have 100 per cent faith in the team, and it’s taken longer for all of us to get to where we want to be.
“I believe we will get there if we keep chipping away, and that’s what we want to do.”
Back to his best?
Hamilton was off the pace in 2022, following the controversial end to the 2021 season when he lost out on an eighth world title to Max Verstappen on the last lap of the year.
George Russell, in his first season with Mercedes, was able to regularly beat his fellow Brit in both qualifying and races, but the tables have turned this year.
Hamilton has been far more consistent and shown extra bursts of pace compared to his younger teammate, seeing him 34 points ahead in the inter-team battle.
