Toto Wolff, the boss at Formula 1 side Mercedes, has “no concern” about Lewis Hamilton re-signing to stay with the team for the coming season.
British racing driver Lewis Hamilton will be out of contract at Mercedes at the end of the year and talks over a new deal has yet to start with Wolff.
Wolff during an interview says: “If an asteroid hits the world, anything can happen.
“But at the moment there is no reason he wouldn’t want to be in the quickest car and we want him in the car so it’s a perfect match.”
Hamilton won his 92nd career victory at Portimao over the weekend to break the all-time Formula 1 record for wins. He is also likely to win his seventh world championship within two or three races, making him the most successful driver of all time.
He admitted he wants to remain with Mercedes before the race in Portugal but that “there are many questions to answer” about the detail of the contract.
The issue of the threat posed by the global coronavirus pandemic is one of the reasons talks has been delayed, and the desire to minimise any risk that Hamilton could catch the disease, forcing him to miss a race and threaten his title campaign.
Wolff said he had been in Monaco, where Hamilton lives, before the race in Portugal but had decided it was too big a risk to hold a meeting.
“Where we stand today is that everybody has the will to continue,” Wolff says.
“The situation is very simple, and I know there are some conspiracy theories in F1, but with Lewis and I, we are living like hermits and our team is particularly disciplined.
“We have another 11 cars for our staff, we are not allowing more than two people to have dinner together, the seven or eight system-relevant people are not allowed socialise with each other and the drivers are most exposed.
“I was in Monaco last week and we decided not to meet because the worst that could happen is that me dragging corona into our meeting.
“So it simply wasn’t the time to sit down and meet. I hope we can finish the next couple of races on a high and then concentrate on the contract.”
Hamilton was praised by Wolff for his determination to continually improve.
“What is most impressive for me is his development out of the car,” he says.
“The Lewis Hamilton I met in 2013 when we both started at Mercedes is a totally different person from today.
“He is permanently questioning himself, developing out of the car, his personality, his skills, and that is truly inspiring. Every single day he wants to be better than the day before.”
Jenson Button who was Hamilton’s former teammate and the 2009 world champion adds: “I think the important thing for Lewis through the years is that he was always willing to learn and that’s why he is where he is now.
“He’s always had the natural ability. That hasn’t changed. But I think he’s learned how to look after the car, the tyres, the fuel, the strategy; he’s grown as a driver.
“He’s had the best backing, he’s been with Mercedes for many years and they’ve given him a car to achieve but he’s the guy who comes out on top.
“He’s the guy that beats his team-mate so he’s done a fantastic job and I can’t see him retiring any time soon. When you’re in the best car, it’s always difficult to walk away.”
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