Lewis Hamilton has revealed some of his thinking regarding only signing a single year extension to his Mercedes contract - Hamilton explains decision to sign one-year Mercedes extension (motorsport.com)
It’s interesting and I think he is now looking towards retirement and his future outside the cockpit. In particular his role in improving equality and diversity in motorsport and I guess in life.
He’s in an interesting political world at the moment. As the only black driver in F1, one of the few in top-level motorsport it would fall on him to comment even if he did not want to. But’s he’s not shied away from it and, frankly as long as he doesn’t go over the top, he is of course untouchable. He’s currently a seven-time champion with 95 races wins. He’s not going to be sacked from his team, punished by the FIA or F1 or lose sponsors if he comments on diversity issues. He is too big a name for that.
But of course, it falls to him. It did not fall to Alex Albon to lead the diversity movement due to Albon’s lower profile and, of course, all around weaker position in F1.
I think Hamilton has always wanted to use his profile for good and previous attempts – some environmental considerations – have fallen a little flat. He spans the world on his private jet, racing cars and of course running multiple homes in various tax friendly locations taking an entourage with him wherever he goes. A message of environmental awareness is always going to fall flat coming from that source. Crusading about veganism is all very well but most people don’t pollute as much as he does anyway and many only have the money for cheaper food. All food can become expensive if you have limited cooking facilities.
However, diversity is something he can speak from the heart about. Something his family has experience of and something that, no matter how much money he has will probably always be a factor in his life. There is not doubt that racial inequality can lead to a lack of opportunity.
But what of the racing?
Well, one year with Mercedes. What does that mean?
If he gets 100 wins and 8 titles, he is going to be wondering what the next challenge will be. Is it worth spending so much time in a planet killing plane and stuck in hotel rooms to get nine and more than a hundred when, realistically, no one is going to closing on those numbers any time soon. Especially if 2022 does lead to less domination as the regulations intend.
I think the one-year deal is saying he's about to complete all he can with Mercedes and possibly F1.
I doubt Red Bull holds too much interest for him. For Hamilton, whose career had the end of the best of the McLaren years - the team of Senna, Prost, Lauda etc and having had as much glory and status at Mercedes as Fangio - there is only really one F1 team that would surely interest him – Ferrari – another of Lauda’s teams. Ferrari has the aura no other team has. It has not won a title since 2007. It has all the money and resources.
Every driver wants to have a go at winning for Ferrari. Even Hamilton’s idol Senna harboured that dream.
The problem is the aura of Ferrari is part of it comes form the culture of Ferrari. Which is a problem.
So why would Hamilton want to go there. Well, that’s the reason for the one year deal I guess. Not only is there not currently a seat available – although you’d have to imagine that Carlos Sainz could be exited if Hamilton became available (they have form here in paying their World Champion Kimi Räikkönen not to drive for them so they could hire Fernando Alonso) - but of course I rather suspect that Hamilton would prefer not to go to a team with it’s recent history, under Mattia Binotto, and have to contend with a stubbornly Charles Leclerc centred team.
It is likely Hamilton will win his eighth title this year and even more likely he will pass a hundred race wins and so he might decide that’s enough. Regardless of the lure of Ferrari. The 2022 regulations are a new era, and he doesn’t have that many years left.
But if he does not win the title in 2021 and Binotto does not turn Ferrari around then perhaps Hamilton will look to do what Schumacher did at Ferrari and what Alonso and Vettel failed to do – to turn them into a championship winning outfit again. He sort of did at Mercedes (although it was recently a championship winning team as Brawn and leg work had been started by Schumacher and Nico Rosberg).
But as a racing legacy, to finish he career as a Ferrari champion to win the title with three different teams would really put to rest debates about his status as the Greatest Of All Time and that he is only winning because of having the best car.
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