Villeneuve: "Hamilton wanted to work less and get paid more, that doesn't work"

We had to wait a long time for a confirmation of Lewis Hamilton's new contract with Mercedes, and once it came, the contract extension turned out to be for one year only. There is speculation from all sides as to the reason for this, but Jacques Villeneuve has made up his mind.

The 1997 World Champion thinks that the Mercedes-Hamilton combination has already reached its peak and that is why Mercedes only offered him a one year contract. Earlier, Karun Chandhok also said that something was going on at Mercedes and that Hamilton wasn't happy at all with the way the renewal had come about. The announcement itself was followed by a long radio silence from Hamilton.

Villeneuve goes a step further, suggesting that Mercedes no longer has that much interest in retaining Hamilton at all. "I think Mercedes has already reached its peak in terms of media attention and prestige," says the Canadian at Canal+. "Winning again with Lewis Hamilton doesn't add to that."

Villeneuve therefore believes that the team has offered him no more than a one-year contract. "Of course it's not bad for Mercedes that Hamilton is driving for them, but for the public it's mainly Hamilton's image that is growing, not Mercedes'. What would really help Mercedes is if they win with a different driver," he continued.

"The two parties clearly disagreed, whether it's on a financial or social level. Lewis wanted to work less and get paid more, which usually doesn't work," Villeneuve concludes.