It was only a few months ago, just before the start of the season, where Lewis Hamilton decided to put pen to paper to sign a new Mercedes deal. Now, with eight races done and dusted in the current 2021 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton is making news again, this time for a new Mercedes deal. It’s a deal that puts a firm end to rumours that have persisted for quite some time regarding the imminent future of a seven-time world champion.
Instead of popular beliefs and vile notions that suggested Hamilton would retire from the sport upon bagging what he is currently focusing on- the eighth world championship (should he win this year)- he is going nowhere. As a matter of fact, Lewis will continue to drive for his Mercedes team with which he’ll continue to race, at least, until the end of the 2023 World Championship.
It’s a piece of news that would compel the Lewis Hamilton fans to jump in joy, knowing the uncertainty regarding the future of their racing idol is over and that he’s here to stay. Although at the very same time, the said news will trouble the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, in particular, in knowing that they would still have to contend with the attacking racing exploits of a one-of-a-kind driver.
That being said, while Lewis Hamilton is confirmed to remain with Mercedes for no fewer than two more seasons, it isn’t known as to where might his current teammate be?
For a while now, paddock grapevine has suggested that Mercedes don’t seem to be too keen to retain the Finn Valtteri Bottas, especially seeing George Russell- who already drove for Mercedes in a solitary race last year- blossoming in an otherwise underwhelming Williams.
So does that mean that one could soon hear George Russell moving up and getting that cherished seat he’s had his sights on? While we don’t know anything about that, what we do know is that Lewis Hamilton, the 2020 World Champion was all smiles about the positive development regarding his F1 future.
The following is what he had to share basis the biggest piece of news from the realm of F1:
“We’ve accomplished so much together but we still have a lot to achieve, both on and off the track. I’m incredibly proud and grateful of how Mercedes has supported me in my drive to improve diversity and equality in our sport. They have held themselves accountable and made important strides in creating a more diverse team and inclusive environment.
“Thank you to all the dedicated and talented individuals at Mercedes whose hard work makes it all possible and the Board for their continued trust in me. We’re entering a new era of car which will be challenging and exciting and I can’t wait to see what else we can achieve together.”
That being said, what will be nothing less than another great triumph for Mercedes and Hamilton would be to win at Austria on Sunday, an effort, which if culminates into a victory would end a rather vapid recent run of form that saw, for the first time in the turbo-hybrid era, the leading Constructor emerging winless for four back-to-back occasions.
