“Impeccable” Hamilton ‘just got more expensive’ with F1 title win - Wolff
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton’s new contract “just got really more expensive” after his “impeccable” victory drive at the Turkish Grand Prix.
Hamilton sealed his seventh F1 world championship to draw level with Michael Schumacher’s all-time record with a masterful performance in treacherously-wet conditions en route to winning Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix.
It marked Hamilton’s 94th career victory and his 10th win from 14 races so far this season as he wrapped up the 2020 F1 title with three races to spare.
Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the year and is yet to strike up fresh terms over a new deal, though he is widely expected to remain with Mercedes next season.
“It’s just got really more expensive today,” Wolff said of Hamilton’s next deal following his win in Turkey. “His driving was impeccable.
“There was not one foot he put wrong today whilst everybody else did with a car that was today interacting with the tyres, for sure not the best car.”
Mercedes and Hamilton have remained relaxed about the 35-year-old Briton’s contract situation and Wolff said he did not want to put a deadline on when a new deal would be finalised and announced, indicating that it could wait until after the final race of the 2020 season.
"I think more than likely, we are looking towards the end of the year," Wolff said.
"Not that we wouldn't find time for each other, but I don't want to put ourselves under pressure to say before Bahrain or before Abu Dhabi we will announce a new contract.
"There isn't any pressure. When it's done, it's done.”
Hamilton caused a stir at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix when he suggested he might not continue in F1 next year with Mercedes, but Wolff is confident the two parties will extend their successful tenure for at least one more year.
"He loves racing, and the competition, as does the team and myself," Wolff explained. "I think if we wouldn't have the competition against the stopwatch, life would be not as fun.
"So I see us going for more next year, maybe putting another great year on, and then we have this tremendous challenging regulation change for 2022. We'll go for a while."
Hamilton said after winning F1’s first race at Istanbul Park in nine years that negotiating a new deal was “definitely something that we need to get onto” but stressed he did not want to put any extra pressure on himself to get it done.
"I just always think, through the year just that I've got a job to do, I've got a contract in place, I don't feel like I should add pressure," Hamilton said.
"I wanted to put it aside and wait until the job is done. So, probably over these next weeks - we've got three weeks in the Middle East - now it's a bit more chilled, but I still have three races ahead of me that I want to win.
"It's not done but we will get it done, I'm sure."
