F1 | Brundle isn't sure Hamilton and Mercedes are on the same page this year
Martin Brundle stated that Hamilton wasn't possibly super-happy with the way the negotiations have worked out at Mercedes and that he's aware of the competition level on track this year.
The journey that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are going through on the same track, since 2013, may this time no longer have a common destination.
The 36-year-old from Stevenage, England, was the last driver on the grid to sign a contract for the 2021 Formula 1 season, perhaps because his renewal with Mercedes was a deal already taken for granted, but despite the assurances of the German team and the 7-time world champion, Hamilton only signed a one-year contract.
During a Sky Sports transmission, Martin Brundle, the British former racing driver and commentator for Sky Sports since 2012, admitted that during a conversation with Lewis Hamilton, he noticed the F1 driver was a bit off.
"We did a couple of features with him," Brundle stated - "he was very generous but a bit grumpy actually, I thought generally".
"It's interesting that his right-hand man, Marc Hynes, is no longer working with him. I sensed he possibly wasn't super-happy with the way the negotiations have worked out at Mercedes".
Hamilton was also aware of the competitiveness that he might find on track during this upcoming season.
"I did say to him 'you're going to burst through 100 poles this year at some point, most likely' and he went 'why?' " Brundle said.
"McLaren were a quarter of a second behind us in Abu Dhabi, now they've got our engine; what about Red Bull, maybe the high rake works; and don't count out Ferrari, and the Aston Martin will be strong". Hamilton added
"He sort of really challenged me quite hard and I said 'well, you have got 98 of them, mostly in the hybrid era, you scored 10 last year - there's half a chance you'll get two more this year' ".
In relation to this matter, the British McLaren driver, Lando Norris, gave his opinion, suggesting that Lewis Hamilton could leave F1 at the end of this season:
"He's a guy who loves doing a lot of other things outside of F1 and you have one life" the 21-year old said to Sky Sports.
"If you win eight championships you have to be very happy with that, if you win one you have to be very happy with that".
"I think he knows what he wants to do and he also wants to go and enjoy his life outside of F1 and for Formula 1 to not take up the whole period of his life".
"He's quite likely to get an eighth championship this year, time will tell" he concluded.
