Toto Wolff not letting Lewis Hamilton leave Mercedes

• He insists that he will stop at nothing to persuade Lewis Hamilton to stay with the German team
• The 38-year-old’s contract with Mercedes is slated to end this year
• Hamilton is reportedly set to sign a new five-year contract with Mercedes worth £250 million

Toto Wolff, the head of the F1 Mercedes team, insists that he will stop at nothing to persuade Lewis Hamilton to stay with the German team.

Since taking over for his childhood idol Michael Schumacher at Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton has experienced one of the most successful periods in the history of motorsport.

The 38-year-old’s contract with Mercedes is slated to end this year, and negotiations have been going on between the two parties for months amid a £250 million ($318 million) deal yet to be reached.

Wolff said during a BBC appearance on Desert Island Discs that he is certain the seven-time world champion will contribute to the reinvention of the team.

“I’m doing everything I can to make him stay. I think there is no need to persuade him. He knows about all the goodness and although we struggled with the car this year, and last year, he will be part of the resurrection of the team,” the Mercedes team principal said.

Toto Wolff. Photo/Mirror

Lewis Hamilton is reportedly set to sign a new five-year contract with Mercedes worth £250 million. The deal makes Hamilton the highest-paid Formula One driver in history.

With his contract expiring at the end of the 2023 season, Hamilton has been linked with a move to other teams, such as Ferrari and Red Bull. He has, however, dispelled these rumours but insiders point out that he has had talks with Ferrari in the past.

The £250 million deal will see Hamilton earn £50 million per year surpassing the current record of £40 million per year held by his Red Bull Rival Max Verstappen.

F1 pundits cite that this deal is a major coup for Mercedes as the 38-year-old is one of the most successful Formula One drivers of all time.

He has seven world championships to his name and a major draw for sponsors. The one new contract deal is also a sign of Mercedes’ commitment to winning after missing out in the last three years and handing Red Bull victory.

Mercedes dominated F1 for years, winning the constructors’ championship every year since 2014. They broke this tradition in 2021 when he controversially lost his eight-world championship title to Verstappen in the infamous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton. Photo/Daily Sabbah

Since then, Mercedes cars haven’t matched up to Red Bull’s speed in the last two seasons. This has frustrated Hamilton and he flirted with the idea to quit Formula 1 but he decided otherwise.

Wolff also gave insight to the profound relationship he has cultivated with seven-time World Champion over their decade-long collaboration.

Drawing an analogy to his personal life, Wolff likened his association with Hamilton to that of a committed couple, highlighting the depth of their connection.

He said that they sometimes agree to disagree and move on without the option of him leaving the team because Mercedes is built in this Mercedes.

“So we came to the conclusion that we can have conflict, we can create an atmosphere where we’re able to be brutally honest with each other, and sometimes we agree to disagree, but we move on,” added Wolff.