© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Amid rumours about the status of Lewis Hamilton‘s 2021 contract negotiations, the official Formula 1 website provides a rundown of the situation.
The most interesting point in the article might be the analysis of what could be holding up the negotiations.
“First off, it’s not clear what stage of negotiations they have reached,” wrote senior writer Lawrence Barretto.
“It may well have been agreed but not announced. Equally, it may not have been agreed and there’s work to be done. What’s certainly true is that the Covid-19 pandemic made getting together face-to-face more difficult for Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
“If life was normal, there’d have been plenty of scope to get together in Wolff’s kitchen to thrash out a deal, as they did before. But that wasn’t feasible.
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“Formula 1 teams never talk about the contents of a contract but often the delay in signing on the dotted line is down to the fine details.
“Both driver and team have got to agree on the length of contract, which works for both sides. It’s likely both will want a deal for at least two years. One side might want longer, the other might want to keep their options open, so nailing that down is a hurdle.
“Then there’s the overall fee a driver is paid per campaign – and what is required from said driver. Aside from driving the car, there will be demands on their time, such as a set number of appearances for the media and partners per year.
“And many drivers, like Hamilton, will want permission to do projects away from the track, such as his fashion line, so that’ll need to be factored in.”
You can read the full article on the official Formula 1 website!
