Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes because of money?

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A lot has been said lately about Lewis Hamilton and his new contract. The question arises whether the Briton will really extend his contract with Mercedes. There is still no sign that this will happen, which is already causing doubts.

The Mercedes team has many successes behind it together with Lewis Hamilton, without whom it is really hard to imagine Mercedes. F1 fans are increasingly talking about money as the main reason why Hamilton will not extend his contract.

Sky presenter Lazenby believes that money does not play an important role and that Lewis has other priorities. “No, I think Lewis would never make those demands anyway, I don’t think that it’s the money that motivates him.

I think it’s the success and I think he will remain so long as he feels that he’s in the best position to get that eighth world championship. I think it’s as simple as that, he’s driven not by race wins, he’s driven by championships now and that will dictate his longevity.

I don’t think retirement’s imminent at all actually”. - Lazenby said, as quoted by crash.net

George Russell

George Russell is also a great driver, and many believe that this season he could achieve a better result.

The question arises; Will Mercedes ignore Hamilton because of Russell and really agree to the option of Lewis leaving the team? “No, I don’t think it will come to that,” said Lazenby. “I don’t think you can underestimate the value of Lewis’ marketing potential to a brand like Mercedes either.

I think that’s why he commands figures way in excess of George at this stage of George’s career”. The situation is quite interesting, and many factors will decide Hamilton's stay. We will see what kind of season the Brit will have. And Russell can also do a lot in the following races.