Mercedes revealed they have started contract negotiations with Lewis Hamilton and are determined to give the seasoned driver a winning car when the new season begins next month.
Hamilton, winner of 103 grands prix, turned 38 in January and will be starting his 11th season at Mercedes in March. Team boss Toto Wolff, speaking at the launch of the team's new W14 car at Silverstone, insisted that he and Hamilton, whose current contract expires at the end of 2023, were in no hurry to put pen to paper.
Mercedes last year had their run of eight consecutive world titles snapped and seven-time champion Hamilton went winless for the first time in a season.
George Russell scored Mercedes’ only victory. Hamilton saw his record of winning at least one race in every season of his career – a run extending back to his debut campaign for McLaren in 2007 – end in 2022 when he finished a huge 214 points adrift of champion Max Verstappen and behind Russell, who came fourth.