Lewis Hamilton’s age ‘plays no role’ in contract talks, claims Mercedes boss Toto Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that age is not going to play a role in contract talks with Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton is approaching 40, and there have been question marks over the German team wanting to make a long-term commitment with a driver at the twilight of his career.

However, Wolff told RacingNews365 during the Mercedes car launch that age won't be a factor in Hamilton's contract negotiations. He pointed out how sports personalities like NFL legend Tom Brady played till he was 45 in a more physical sport, so age can't be a factor. Wolff said:

"If you look at how well top athletes in the world have pushed the boundaries, I'm thinking about (now-retired NFL quarterback) Tom Brady who is 44-45, and he's on the pitch throwing a ball and being tackled, so the age plays no role. In terms of the contractual situation, I think we've always found good solutions that reflect value for the team and for the sport."

He added:

"On the other side, I think Mercedes is the place he (Hamilton) wants to be, so these things have never been a contentious point. Nothing is dragging on; the alignment is great, and like in the years before, it was no problem to sort things out over the winter before actually going racing (i.e in the 2023-24 off-season), because it was always clear that we're going to do it."

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The 'first chat' between Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton is already done - Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff added that Mercedes have already conducted a 'first chat' with Lewis Hamilton about his contract but declined to commit a timeline, as Hamilton does not deem it important enough. He said:

"It's not like a first priority in sitting down because this is going to be a journey that will continue. We've done a few of these contracts in the past, and they changed very little from iteration to iteration. So it's not usually complex, apart from the obvious terms. We've had the first chat, but I don't want to commit to any timeline, because it's not important for him or for us at this stage."

Teaming up with George Russell, Lewis Hamilton will hope o bring Mercedes back to the top of the standings once again. The team has done a brilliant job in the turbo hybrid era that began in 2014, winning all but one constructors title (2022).