The entire off-season was filled with dialogue between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes over his contract extension.
When the two finally did agree on terms, the deal was only for the upcoming season and would see Hamilton earn $40 million through the course of the year.
Much of this, it has now been revealed, was due to the actions of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
With a salary cap rumoured to be introduced in Formula 1, the total budget that teams will be afforded for both their drivers is believed to be $30 million.
Hamilton is by far the most successful driver on the grid and if this is introduced, it would mean he necessitate him to take a significant pay cut.
Wolff has reportedly been leading the discussions regarding a salary cap to be introduced for drivers and this has led to some friction between the two.
Former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, who knows both Hamilton and Wolff well, believes this could very well be the case.
“From that point of view, that is not going to be something that goes down well with Lewis. It is his Team Boss who’s like a driving force in this,” Rosberg said in an interview with Sky Sports.
Rosberg does not believe Hamilton will allow this to come in the way of his record-breaking eighth world championship.
“However, Lewis is not stupid. So, he’ll also understand where Toto is coming from in that sense; I have a bit of understanding for that,” said Rosberg.
“It’s not gonna hurt his performance on the way to becoming the greatest of all-time statistically and beating Michael Schumacher with that eighth title. Lewis knows how to focus.”
Rosberg may well have known both men in question pretty well once upon a time, but he has himself admitted that he barely speaks with Hamilton after their friendship fell apart.
Do you agree with his assessment?
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