Monaco Grand Prix, a circuit that often favours Mercedes, turned into one of disaster for the outfit this season.
The biggest impact was, not surprisingly, on Valtteri Bottas who had his second DNF of the season after a failed pitstop.
Hamilton too, however, did not fare too well after finishing P7 despite Charles Leclerc’s DNS and his teammate’s exit.
The Brit has refused to take the blame for the incident and pinned it all on the team. As a result, there seems to be some stalling in talks regarding Hamilton’s contract extension beyond 2021.
‘Cool-down’ between driver and team
According to Motorsport, Mercedes and Hamilton have distanced themselves to let the situation cool down. This has led the discussions of the contract to hang for the time-being.
The ball is now in Toto Wolff‘s court to revive the talks by as early as mid-June.
There have been rumors stating that the outfit is keen on closing and finalizing the contract negotiations with the seven-time world champion as soon as possible.
Hamilton and Mercedes have already agreed upon the financial aspect of the deal. The Brit will receive $30M a year.
The key point to discuss is Hamilton’s role in the team after he decides to retire as a racing driver.
Mercedes, however, hopes that the negotiations don’t extend much like last year.
Mercedes left Monaco helpless
The race in Monaco was one with high emotions, especially for Hamilton. He could not do anything as he saw his Red Bull counterpart go ahead and win the race.
Hamilton’s post-race actions showed the extent of the tension after he pinned the entire blame on the team. Only a week before, the Brit was all in praise of his team.
In the past, Hamilton has claimed to stick to the “We win and we lose together” strategy so we can hope for things to fall back in place soon.
For now, Hamilton is still in the game against rivals Red Bull and we can only hope for the next race in Baku to come sooner.
Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Read More: Lewis Hamilton was lacking confidence from the beginning: Nico Rosberg