Wolff: "I hope I wake up one day and it will all be clear to me"

In 2020, negotiations between Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton started very late which led to an agreement on a new one-year deal only in February, a month before the start of the current season. Both parties will enter talks earlier in 2021, although negotiations have not yet started.

The season is only three Grands Prix old so there is still plenty of time, although Toto Wolff knows all too well that the year can fly by. Have talks with Hamilton about a new commitment already started? "No, no. But we have learned our lesson not to stretch the issue until Christmas anymore. That was definitely too late," says the Mercedes team boss when asked about it by Motorsport-Total.com asked about it.

Russell or Bottas?

Wolff also has to negotiate on the other side of the garage about who will be the second driver at Mercedes. It won't really be about negotiations on that side, but more about which driver will be chosen. George Russell and Valtteri Bottas will probably be happy if they are chosen to sit next to Hamilton.

For the German team, the choice is a difficult one and they are not taking it lightly. "I hope I wake up one day and it will all be clear to me. We'll have to see how the next races go," Wolff said.