© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
At the FIA prize giving gala Lewis Hamilton said drivers are calling Toto Wolff and inquiring about race seat availability at Mercedes in 2021.
With most drivers’ contracts expiring at the end of 2020, it is expected that a major reshuffle could occur in 2021. Speaking at the FIA prize giving gala, Lewis Hamilton confirmed that “every driver” is inquiring about a possible opening at Mercedes.
“It’s an interesting time because there are lot of drivers who are seeking positions everywhere,” Hamilton said.
“The amount of calls that Toto gets from every driver – including the one that was up here just recently – asking to come, everyone’s trying to leave their team to come to where we are.
“It is an understandable thing because everybody wants to win and everybody wants to be a part of a winning formula.
“I don’t think it’s a stressful thing at the moment, there’s always been a clear pathway of communication between myself and Toto, there’s never been any secrets so that won’t change.”
Hamilton’s future is also a subject of speculation, with some observers linking him to Ferrari. Toto Wolff recently said he believes there is a 75% chance of Hamilton staying at Mercedes in 2021, which Hamilton himself seems to confirm in his statements.
“I love where I am, I love the people that I work with, so it’s really difficult to walk away from something that you love as much as I do,” said the Briton on Friday.
“The team, the organisation, all the way through to the bosses. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13 so it’s really hard to imagine myself being anywhere else.
“What we’ve built over the period that I’ve been there, in the last seven years – but obviously Mercedes have been working longer than that – at the moment is dominant.
“It’s a strong force and I think it’s taken us time to build the strength in depth from within and have the consistency we have.
“It’s not something that has just come overnight, and other teams don’t currently have the togetherness that we have in place.
“It takes time to build those things.”
Source: motorsportweek.com
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