Lewis Hamilton playing hardball with Mercedes over key clause in £50m-a-year contract

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Lewis Hamilton will be back on track as Formula 1 comes out of its summer break this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix but he is still without any new contract at Mercedes.

That is according to The Sun, which reports that Hamilton is playing hardball with Mercedes in their contract negotiations. Even though the Silver Arrows’ team principal Toto Wolff said this June that he was optimistic the seven-time F1 champion was close to agreeing to terms.

Mercedes boss Wolff believed that Hamilton was just days away from signing a new contract with the Brackley-based outfit. Yet the 38-year-old is now preparing for Sunday’s Dutch GP on a £40m-a-year deal that expires in December. And the saga engulfing his future rolls on.

What is holding up Lewis Hamilton’s new Mercedes contract?

Talks between Hamilton and Mercedes have resulted in an agreement in principle for him to sign new a two-year contract. The Stevenage-born star will also bank a pay rise with his new terms likely to be worth around £50m-a-year. But he is holding up the terms being finalised.

Hamilton is so far refusing to put pen to paper whilst talks remain ongoing over the amount of time the Silver Arrows expect him to make available for sponsor engagements. The team are pushing to have an obligated amount be specified in the conditions of any new contract.

As the Briton knows his worth to the Brackley-based team, Hamilton is playing hardball over the time he must commit. Wolff also does not have a natural replacement in line to take the seat if Hamilton leaves. Mercedes do not see Mick Schumacher as a credible heir right now.

Toto Wolff does not view Mick Schumacher as a credible replacement

Schumacher joined Mercedes as their reserve driver upon Haas axing Michael Schumacher’s son last winter. Nico Hulkenberg took the 24-year-old’s seat at the American-owned team to return to F1. Schumacher raced with Haas in the 2021 and 2022 seasons and took 12 points.

Having a year in the garage as Mercedes’ reserve driver would at least give Schumacher the knowledge of the team’s processes if Wolff asks him to replace Hamilton if they fail to agree to a new contract. The German also won the Formula 2 title in 2020 before moving into F1.

Schumacher edged Callum Ilott for the F2 title by 14 points after producing a consistent year at UNI-Virtuosi Racing. He took nine podiums during the 24 races and also won two. He then outranked Nikita Mazepin in 2021 and battled Kevin Magnussen in 2022 as Haas teammates.