Lewis Hamilton contract: Mercedes prospects of signing F1 rival Max Verstappen explained

F1: Lewis Hamilton goes cross-country skiing

Lewis Hamilton’s future with Mercedes remains unclear, months after he won the F1 Drivers’ Championship for a seventh time. And reports say the chances of Max Verstappen signing on as his replacement as ‘doubtful, but possible’. The Brit has hinted he’ll stay with the Silver Arrows but, with a new deal still unsigned, speculation continues to rumble on.

Hamilton was in electrifying form in F1 in 2020, finishing way ahead of both Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas in the standings.

And though Toto Wolff and Mercedes have both indicated they want him to stay, an official announcement over a new contract still seems some way off.

With Hamilton yet to commit, there’s been talk that Verstappen could sign on as his replacement.

The Red Bull star, aged 23, has already established himself as one of the best drivers within the sport.

And PlanetF1 put the chances of this happening as ‘doubtful’, but also express a belief that a sensational switch is also possible.

Whether Verstappen would leave a team catered to his needs at Red Bull is uncertain, with the Belgian-Dutch driver their undisputed main man.

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But, if Hamilton doesn’t sign, it’s feasible he’ll be earmarked as a potential replacement along with George Russell.

Meanwhile, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner thinks Verstappen is the best F1 driver out there at present – and thinks George Russell has proved his point.

“Yes, I think he is the best, and George Russell’s performance at Mercedes confirmed that for me,” he said.

He then added: “Max and Lewis stand out for me, but although we should definitely not be blind to what Hamilton has achieved, he does have a good package at his disposal.

“That while Max has to get more out of his car.

“At Mercedes, a Williams driver can qualify himself directly on the front row and Russell almost won the race.

“However, if at Red Bull someone had to get into Verstappen’s car, for example if Max had corona, nobody would reach his level.

“His qualifying performances are of an exceptional level and his race craft is excellent, just like his tyre management.

“Max has become better at ‘reading’ the race, giving feedback to the team, but also dealing with disappointment, for example. He has matured very much in those areas.”

Horner also thinks Verstappen’s peak years are still ahead of him, too.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said when asked if the 23-year-old was now in his prime.

“The others have a hard time compared to Max’s performance.

“If you look at his performance in Abu Dhabi, his pole was phenomenal and then he controlled the race in a very mature way from start to finish.”

Hamilton took to social media earlier this week to explain that there are still ‘many moving parts’ in contract talks.

He said: ”Hey World, I haven’t been on here for a while. I’m in the mountains training everyday, getting my mind and body right.

“I’m hiking to the top of the mountain every morning. Three of those hikes I cross country ski once I get to the top which is at 3400m, killer.

“I love altitude training, there is less oxygen high up so working out is much harder than at sea level, just walking up the stairs you feel it at 2000m.

“Normal when I finish training here and return to sea level running is such a breeze. I’m trying to find the right balance in cardio and strength building.

“On top of that, lots of work ongoing in the background. Many moving parts but just checking in to let you know I’m doing good, I’m healthy and mentally strong right now in my bubble.

“I hope you are staying as positive as you can with all that is still going on. Keep your head up.

“I can’t wait to see you all again at some stage soon. Sending you love and light #teamlh.”

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