Whereas last season it took Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff until deep into the winter break to hammer out all the details of the one-year contract extension, this time the Mercedes team boss doesn't want to let it get that far. Speaking to Formula1.com, Wolff says he wants to sit down to discuss a new contract sooner rather than later.
"We have learned our lesson [with the last contract]," the Austrian begins to the Official website of Formula 1. "When we left it until the Christmas break. That was definitely taking too far."
Giving it a push
Wolff believes there are currently no obstacles to extending the contract with Hamilton, who previously appeared uncertain about his future in motorsport's premier class. “I think we are in a very good place and our relationship is growing stronger every year. It’s about time to give it a little nudge and start to speak and this is what we are going to do soon."
Wolff cannot yet give a definitive date for the announcement of a new contract with the Briton. He does have a diplomatic answer to offer instead: "I think we need to look into the season and how the next races unfold and then it is a judgement call I believe."