1 year contract for Lewis
Lewis Hamilton finally puts pen to the paper and signs a one year contract with the Mercedes AMG team.
The contract signing was long long awaited. In fact it is surprising that the decision was not taken until so late in the 2021 season. This will be his 9th season with the German team.
Successful partnership
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have unarguably the most successful partnership in the F1 history. Lewis has been with Mercedes for 8 years and he has won 6 championships. There was hardly any doubt that the contract will be signed. However the delay was a cause for concern. Lewis, the richest athlete in Great Britain, said that he was not very comfortable having contract discussions, when the world was going through a massive turmoil because of the pandemic, and he kept delaying the talks.
More Inclusive and Diverse Motorsport
Mercedes and Hamilton have agreed a contract that includes the formation of a joint charitable foundation with the aim of supporting greater diversity and inclusion in Motorsport.
Hamilton said: “I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes team-mates. Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.
“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue.
“I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”
No Contract for Lewis, Valtteri and Russell in 2022, for now
The most surprising aspect of the news was that the contract is only for one year. Lewis is used to signing 3 yr contracts. The 7 time world champion should not have had any issues signing a long term contract. However, both Lewis and Mercedes have said that they prefer a one year contract and see how things go forward. This makes 2022 very interesting. Lewis, Valtteri, and Russell, all will not have a contract for 2022. In 2022 new F1 chassis regulations kick in. It will be interesting to see who Mercedes chooses for 2022 and beyond.
Lewis will certainly be hoping to clinch a record-breaking 8th World Championship this year.