While scores of drivers arrived in Montreal on Tuesday to take part in the Canadian Grand Prix, the eighth leg of the Formula One World Championship, others like Lewis Hamilton made a stopover in New York.
According to several specialist sites, the seven-time world champion met the head of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, who is also in New York.
The focus of this summit meeting: Hamilton’s contract extension, which in all likelihood would only be a formality.
“We are no longer talking about weeks, but about days. “We will try to announce everything before the Canadian Grand Prix,” Wolff told CNBC.
“We both joined the team in 2013. Lewis is an important character not only for our organization but also for Formula 1. We still have a lot to achieve,” added the Austrian leader.
Over 40
Even though he hasn’t tasted a win since 2021, Hamilton, 38, doesn’t hide the fact that he always has the holy fire. He is seeking an agreement that will allow him to run for several years. Over 40 years old.
Mercedes’ performance at the recent Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton and team-mate George Russell finished second and third on the podium respectively, bodes well for the future.
But the gap to the untouchable Red Bull is still considerable. Max Verstappen won in Barcelona by a comfortable 24 seconds.
A playground
Hamilton has turned the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit into a veritable playground since claiming seven victories there (along with Michael Schumacher), including the first-ever of his career in 2007.
Could Mercedes’ return to good form allow the German team to get back on track on Sunday? Wolff is rather skeptical.
“With its long straights and slow corners, the Montreal layout might not suit our car as well as Barcelona,” he claims.
This double podium allowed Mercedes to oust Aston Martin from second place in the cumulative constructors’ standings.