Mercedes Components One boss Toto Wolff jokingly prompt he must promote the manufacturing facility to maintain Lewis Hamilton after the Briton’s document 92nd profession win in Portugal on Sunday.
Hamilton is out of contract on the finish of the yr, by which era the 35-year-old is prone to have received a record-equalling seventh championship and rank as essentially the most profitable driver within the historical past of the game.
He and Wolff have but to take a seat down and hammer out the small print of a brand new deal in a season disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic however time is pushing on.
“It’s big. We’ve to promote loads of stock. Promote a leaseback of the buildings and simply provide you with the cash,” mentioned Wolff when requested concerning the contract implications of the victory.
The truth is much less drastic, with each side eager to remain collectively and set extra information in a sport they’ve dominated because the begin of the V6 turbo hybrid period in 2014.
If Ferrari nice Michael Schumacher’s document 91 wins as soon as appeared an not possible goal, Hamilton now seems prone to go effectively past 100 with an eighth title additionally now not within the realms of fantasy.
“In 10 or 20 years we’re going to look again and actually acknowledge what a particular driver he was,” mentioned Wolff.
Mercedes, in the meantime, are getting ready to changing into the primary staff to win seven successive constructors’ titles.
Hamilton, who has been with Mercedes since 2013, already earns a reported 40 million kilos ($52 million) a yr however the pandemic has modified the monetary panorama for even the largest corporations.
The champion is aware of no different staff may give him what he needs, and no different staff will really feel like household in the best way Mercedes does.
“I don’t assume I’m at my peak. I’m in a very good space for positive however I nonetheless need to proceed to race. I don’t understand how for much longer that will probably be,” the 35-year-old advised Sky Sports activities tv.
“It is a time period the place I’ve acquired to slowly work out what the long run holds.
“All I can say is I plan to be right here subsequent yr.”
Hamilton’s contract talks have all the time been one thing of a saga and this time he has additionally needed to make certain of the place Wolff’s future lies.
The Austrian, a shareholder within the staff, mentioned he and Daimler boss Ola Kaellenius had agreed “to proceed with one another”.
“The place we stand at this time is that everyone has the need to proceed,” Wolff advised reporters by video convention.
“With Lewis and I it’s merely that we live like hermits and I feel our staff is especially disciplined …I used to be in Monaco final week however we determined to not meet as a result of the worst that might occur is me dragging corona into our conferences.
“It merely wasn’t the time to take a seat down and meet. I hope we are able to end the following couple of races on a excessive after which focus on the contract.”
