A rumor surrounding Sir Lewis Hamilton has well and truly been quashed by Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff, who said that it’s “complete bull****” that he’s trying to force the Brit out of the door.
Hamilton hasn’t had the season he would’ve been hoping for following on from being “manipulated” and “cheated” at the 2021 season finale, where he lost the Drivers’ Championship on the last lap.
Mercedes have struggled to adjust to the new radical aerodynamic regulations, with the side’s W13 having suffered from horrendous porpoising.
The Silver Arrows are currently third in the Constructors’ Championship, with the seven-time World Champion occupying sixth in the Drivers’ Standings.
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Hamilton is yet to win in 2022, something he’ll be desperate to do having won at least a single race every year he’s been at the pinnacle of motorsport.
The Brit has found form as of late, having claimed five consecutive podium finishes, with that elusive 2022 victory appearing ever closer.
Despite this, a strange rumor was started that Wolff supposedly called Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez, to see if the Mexican would fancy replacing Hamilton at Mercedes next season.
It’s safe to say, this rumor couldn’t be any further from the truth.
“I never called Sergio,” said Wolff when questioned on the rumors in an interview with Motorsport.com.
“He’s a good guy and I respect him, but I never talked to him and I wasn’t in contact with any other driver. It’s complete bull****.
“Lewis and I, even in the face of a not-so-encouraging scenario like the beginning of this season, we are always aligned in wanting to try to make things better and be together next year.”
The British driver is contracted at Mercedes until the end of 2023, and despite not currently fighting for victories like he’s used to, Hamilton is still “loving” driving.
With this in mind, Wolff has revealed that himself and Hamilton have discussed continuing for at least five more years, which would take the 37-year-old into his 40s.
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“We’ve been telling each other for a couple of months that we could go on, maybe five or 10 years, right?” he said.
“None of that [the rumours] is true.”
Hamilton has previously expressed his desire not to be racing in the championship in his 40s, unlike Fernando Alonso, who will be 44-years-old by the time his contract with the Aston Martin F1 Team comes to an end.
