F1 champion claims Lewis Hamilton contract situation caused Mercedes PROBLEM

F1 News & Gossip

F1 champion claims Hamilton contract situation caused Mercedes PROBLEM

Nico Rosberg claimed that contract delays had a negative impact on his former boss

Shay Rogers

Thursday 14 September 2023 11:57

Nico Rosberg had claimed that the delay in Lewis Hamilton signing a new contract with Mercedes would’ve had a massive impact on team principal Toto Wolff this season.

Mercedes currently sit second in the constructors’ championship, mainly off the back of some superb performances from Hamilton, who continues to lead the team and its development path in the right direction.

It did take until September for the two sides to come to an agreement to extend their partnership beyond 2023, which came as a surprise to some, but Wolff downplayed the delays at the Italian Grand Prix.

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Nico Rosberg pointed out that the drawn-out negotiations may have created uncertainty at the leadership level, as well as creating further stress for Toto Wolff to deal with.

Rosberg: Inside it certainly put stress

“I think just stability, calmness because it always leads to uncertainty even in the leadership, ‘Ah, Lewis has not signed yet’,” Rosberg told Sky Sports.

“It puts stress, stress because what if Lewis suddenly decides, ‘I actually prefer to go surfing at the beach’?

“That would be a big problem then. So, it does put stress, especially probably on someone like Toto, even though he wouldn’t show it because he’s an incredibly good negotiator, and pretty cold, but inside it certainly put stress.”

Toto Wolff will be thankful that he doesn’t have to enter negotiations with his drivers for a while, with both now tied down until 2025.

Stability should help Mercedes prevail in their long-term fight to catch Red Bull, while Hamilton attempts to achieve an elusive eighth world championship.