© Paul Ripke for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Toto Wolff says he will “sit down and discuss” Lewis Hamilton’s contract in February and adds that Mercedes will “definitely race” in 2021.
Amid persistent rumours concerning the details of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes contract extension talks (that Hamilton recently shot down), team boss Toto Wolff says the real discussion is yet to start.
“The last time we met was at the Christmas party,” Wolff said.
“We chatted a bit about the future. Since then we have only talked through WhatsApp.
“If you’re on top of each other for ten months, it is important to also refrain from doing so. That’s why we decided to leave ourselves alone in December and January.
“When it starts again in February, we will sit down and discuss.”
There has also been a lot of talk about the possibility of Mercedes leaving Formula 1 after 2020, prompting a denial by Daimler chairman Ola Kallenius. Wolff now joins in and says basically the same thing.
“Mercedes will definitely race in 2021. We want to stay with it. Formula 1 makes sense for us.
“The general conditions must be right. Formula 1 must work as such. We want to have a Concorde agreement that we can live with.
“That doesn’t mean that we always want to get more out of it for Mercedes. It has to be a well-balanced contract, for us and for the smaller teams as well.”
While Wolff’s words aren’t a definite confirmation that Mercedes will agree to remain in Formula 1 beyond 2020 (“racing” in Formula 1 could also mean racing as an engine supplier), these are strong indications that the German manufacturer has every intention of staying.
Source: Auto Motor und Sport
