'Hamilton has not yet renewed Mercedes contract due to concerns about car'

Lewis Hamilton's contract at Mercedes expires at the end of 2023. Whether Hamilton will continue beyond the next Formula 1 season has everything to do with the competitiveness of the W14, according to former F1 driver Jenson Button.

Will Hamilton continue in F1?

Button thinks the lack of a contract extension has everything to do with Hamilton's concerns about the new car. He therefore thinks the Mercedes driver will wait and see how competitive his team is before deciding to continue in the king class of motorsport.

"Why otherwise would you leave it this late? He knows how annoying we all are asking," Button said in conversation with The Telegraph. "I mean, we’ve got to ask the question. But he’s going to hate answering it over and over and over and over again. It can only be because he's wondering how competitive they will be."

Between Hamilton and George Russell, Button expects more tension this year than in the 2022 F1 season, in which Russell beat his teammate in the final standings. "First year, it's easy because there's no real pressure on your shoulders. Nobody expects you to beat Lewis Hamilton," judged the 2009 world champion. In Russell's second year, Button hopes to see the teammates fight for victories.