Wolff denies ‘flirting’ with Verstappen or Leclerc before Hamilton renewal

On Thursday, Mercedes announced that Hamilton and George Russell would form their F1 driver line-up up until the end of 2025.

It ended all speculation about Hamilton’s future amid tentative links to Ferrari throughout the season.

Leclerc was linked with a move to Mercedes if Hamilton decided to switch to Ferrari or retire from F1 completely.

Speaking after FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix to Sky, Wolff explained why Mercedes didn’t entertain the idea of talking to other drivers such as Verstappen or Leclerc.

"No. I’ve always said that when we renew, I don’t want to flirt outside if I have a good relationship, and only when I see that things are not going in the right direction then I would test the market, but I didn’t do it,” he said.

Hamilton has been outspoken in wanting to remain in F1 for many years to come - beyond his latest two-year deal.

Wolff shed light on why they only committed to two years, rather than a longer deal.

• Revealed: Hamilton’s massive pay rise - and the terms Mercedes didn’t grant

“Yes, we already signed in May but we didn’t tell anybody,” Wolff joked. “Keep a bit of suspense. In all seriousness we knew that we had an agreement, not only emotionally but on paper many weeks ago but it was just you get lawyers on the case and they find stuff. 

“I think it comes from, in a way both sides in this day and age, things change. This is a dynamic environment. Signing a five-year contract means that you need to discuss is there any escape clause in case we are not providing him with a car that is performing. 

"So we didn’t entertain that. We said the foreseeable future is two years and that’s what we are committing to each other.”