Speculation was rife over Lewis Hamilton’s future in Formula 1 before it was confirmed that the British driver would stay with Mercedes for another year.
Varying reasons behind the length of the deal, which is just a year, were discussed.
Some felt it was a play on the part of Hamilton, who remains unsure about his future in the sport.
However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has shed light on the truth behind what happened and how Hamilton may stay at the team for a much longer period as well.
“The reason was simply a lack of time. We first negotiated just before Christmas.
“A multi-year contract is more complex than one for one season. So we said we’ll sign this slip for a year now and see later.
“Everything is currently open to both sides after 2021,” Wolff said.
It is worth noting that George Russell is also an option for Mercedes, with a team member saying that they are keeping a close eye on him this season.
Russell had stepped in for Hamilton at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix after the seven-time world champion was ruled out due to coronavirus.
Wolff said that a number of options are open for the team in 2022 and they will evaluate these during the middle of the current campaign.
“So there is some variation for 2022, but until then our full support goes to Valtteri and Lewis.
“We will evaluate in the middle of the year whether there will be a change in 2022.
“It is surely too early now to talk about scenarios for 2022,” he said.
Valtteri Bottas will be under considerable pressure as the new season is set to get underway on March 28.
Max Verstappen, too, has been discussed as a potential recruitment.
That would be quite a line-up, wouldn’t it?