Albers on Hamilton contract negotiations: "Russell has shattered Hamilton's plan"

In the Telegraaf's Formula 1 podcast, former driver Christijan Albers and Erik van Haren outline the situation surrounding Lewis Hamilton's contract negotiations, which seem to have stalled to some extent. According to the two experts, the parties involved are diametrically opposed in terms of their interests.

Albers explains how George Russell, with his brief stint at Mercedes, managed to sabotage Hamilton's plans for a higher salary. Albers: "Lewis thought that it would all work out, that he would become world champion and that he could therefore increase the pressure for a higher salary. What he didn't realise was that he would get coronavirus and that George Russell would get in the car and actually shatter his whole plan, literally and figuratively."

Albers continues: "Just explain to a CEO of Daimler, one of the biggest manufacturers in the world, why Lewis Hamilton is so special when he sees a George Russell actually pushed in and crushed in a bathtub that he doesn't fit in at all. We all know he would actually win the race." 

Opposite interests

Van Haren's analysis stretches out similarly, arguing that in the contract negotiations, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, with the new influences from INEOS, are diametrically opposed in terms of interests. "What I understand is that Lewis Hamilton would like to sign a new contract, but on his terms. He would like to sign for 2 or 3 years, it's a multi-year deal, and of course, he already has a high salary now and he wants something on top of that," van Haren begins. "And at Mercedes, of course, you also see a big development, undergoing a reorganisation with INEOS stepping in, and that Ola Kallenius, the big man at Daimler, says 'yes, up to here and no further. We can't go much further than this.' Those two parties are diametrically opposed to each other"