F1 boss admits Lewis Hamilton contract 'problem'

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has revealed the difficulties of negotiating contracts with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton when he was at Mercedes.

Hamilton spent 12 seasons with the Brackley-based outfit, where he managed to win six world championship titles and helped the team to claim eight consecutive constructors' championships between 2014-2021.

The 40-year-old then opted to ditch Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of 2024, in the hope of once again contending for a record-breaking eighth world championship.

That left Mercedes with a driver lineup of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, with Russell taking over Hamilton's role as the senior, number one driver.

However, despite his scintillating form to start 2025, Russell is still without a contract beyond the end of this season - as is Antonelli - and Wolff is busy trying to prepare new contracts for the pair having ended his interest in Max Verstappen for 2026.

Now, Wolff has opened up on how contract discussions take place with drivers, suggesting that he used to find it difficult to negotiate with Hamilton because of the close relationship that they shared.

"It always makes things more complicated when you're negotiating with someone who is your ally," Wolff told Formula.hu "Someone whose goals are very close to yours.

"For Lewis and me, for example, this was always a problem. For two and a half years, we were best friends, we agreed on everything, we shared our private lives and everything else.

"Then came the two-month negotiation period. We both hated it. Why? Because in that situation, you may not agree. In the end, we made a change and brought in someone else to do the job, and the situation was resolved in a matter of days.

"That's why it's always complicated with all the competitors. On the one hand, you want to maintain a good relationship. On the other hand, negotiations can sometimes be tough, and it's difficult when the other party is an emotional athlete rather than someone who deals with this every day."

Will Russell sign a new contract?

All indications are that Russell will sign a contract with Mercedes that will keep him with the team into the new era of F1 that enters via wholesale regulation changes from next season.

Wolff has stated that keeping Russell and Antonelli as his drivers for 2026 is his number one priority, while Russell himself has insisted that there is no rush to get a deal done, despite F1 currently being in its summer break with only 10 races remaining in the season.

Russell and Antonelli will almost certainly continue as the team's drivers in 2026, but beyond that, things become a little murky.

Verstappen may have confirmed his future with Red Bull for 2026, but it's thought that there is a real possibility of him leaving the Milton Keynes-based outfit for 2027 once it's clear which team has mastered the new regulations.

Performance-based exit clauses are believed to be present in the Dutchman's Red Bull contract, and Wolff would surely not want to miss out on another opportunity to sign the four-time world champion to his team.

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