Lewis Hamilton News: Toto Wolff Expects Easy Contract Negotiations With Mercedes Champion

The questions around Lewis Hamilton and his renewed contract with Mercedes have been at the forefront of fans' brains since the beginning of last year's season. And now, in a bid to fan the flames, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that the negotiations should only take a small amount of time.

Talking to a number of press, Toto Wolff said the following:

“We have a full year to go. We're so aligned.

“In the last 10 years our relationship has grown that it's just a matter of him physically being back in Europe, sticking our heads together, wrestling a bit and then leaving the room with white smoke after a few hours.”

It's been revealed that both Hamilton and Wolff haven't seen each other since Christmas so haven't been able to work out a contract for the next few years. How many years, though, we're not so sure.

Hamilton said this previously, around the weekend of the Mexican Grand Prix of 2022:

“I’m not putting a limit on it, to be honest.

“I’m planning to do a multi-year deal with my team. I really, really don’t know what the next five years [hold], I think we’re still trying to work on that.

“There’s a lot of great things that are being put in place, like I’ve just launched a [film] production company this week. But I feel great, like in mind and body.

“I think there’s more stuff to achieve together. I just don’t know [how long].”

A deal with Mercedes will be done however, Hamilton has confirmed.

“We are going to do another deal.

“We're going to sit down and we're going to discuss it in these next couple of months, I would say.”

Despite motorsport not being Hamilton's complete focus anymore, he shows no signs of walking away from F1 or Mercedes, with him adamant he wants to retire as a champion.

“Motorsport isn't the most important thing for me,” he told Sport Bild.

“When I was a kid maybe it was. Probably also when I got into Formula 1.

“Ever since I was in my 30s, I've realised that it's all about making memories. With friends, with family. It's about key memories with the people who mean the most to you.

“That's what I focus on and plan things to create those moments. Because that's what you take with you in the long run.

“Sometimes you wake up and have this feeling: I don't want to do this anymore. And sometimes you wake up and think: I can still do other things my whole life, there is definitely more I want to achieve. It won't be a terribly long time now, but I'll definitely be staying.

“I think retiring as a world champion is a dream that every athlete has - and so do I.”

This will certainly be an interesting February.