Signing Lewis Hamilton is proving harder than buying Manchester United. Perhaps Hamilton is a party to that process too, after all he is an active investor. Hamilton revealed he had spoken with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff since the Spanish Grand Prix amidst speculation of a five-year deal taking him to 43, but as yet there is nothing further to report.
Whatever the nitty gritty regarding his future, Hamilton has work to do to lift Mercedes out of a sticky present. The technical nature of the Canadian Grand Prix is not particularly exciting for Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell, who observed: “It is all low-speed corners, bumpy and kerbs; I wouldn’t say it would suit our strengths. We expect Aston Martin to be quicker around here.”
That would please Fernando Alonso, who suffered a rare disappointment in Barcelona, finishing behind teammate Lance Stroll in a car that did not respond as it had when propelling him to five podium finishes in the opening six races. Alonso’s Indian summer has captured the imagination of the paddock in the absence of challenge to Max Verstappen’s unassailable Red Bull. Indeed, Verstappen is his biggest fan.
“If you ask me one driver who I would like to see win a race it’s him,” Verstappen said of his fellow two-time world champion. “I like him. He never gave up and you can see he loves the sport. Sometimes, after so many years of only having a car that is capable of driving in the midfield, maybe you lose a bit of that love, but he is a real racer. He is an animal.”
Verstappen’s march to a third consecutive title approaches a historic juncture in Montreal where victory would take him alongside Ayrton Senna on 41 race wins with only Alain Prost (51), Sebastian Vettel (53), Michael Schumacher (91) and Hamilton (103) ahead. Wisely he steps back from any comparisons with the totemic Brazilian even though he is worthy of them.
“People always have different kinds of careers. Maybe some drivers get into a race-winning car sooner than others. Nowadays, we have more races than back in the day so I never really look at the number, but as a kid I would never have imagined to be in that list. It is an amazing career for sure but you can’t compare it,” he said.
With rain forecast at the weekend, a record eighth win at the circuit where he took his maiden grand prix victory is not out of the question for Hamilton, despite the reservations of Russell. Hamilton has had the better of his team-mate this season, reversing the experience of 2022 when momentum drained in a dog of a car taking motivation with it.
The redesign unveiled in Monaco found its legs in Barcelona, filling Hamilton with optimism for the remainder of the season, and hope that a first victory since 2021 might be in his gift. “The whole team has this new energy and feel like we have a north star, and how to get there,” Hamilton said. “I’m excited coming here. We don’t know whether this track suits our car and characteristics but the weather may change that.”
As for the contract deliberations, the devil is always in the detail. It is likely that Hamilton is mapping out a timeline that includes his post-race career, too, when his commercial value is harder to establish. An ambassadorial role with Mercedes would make obvious sense, but that will be conditioned by the terms of his racing contract.
“I’ve nothing more to say on the contract side,” he said. “If it’s next week or next month it really doesn’t bother me. I’ve seen Toto. We have talked several times. We’ve got a great relationship.”
