As the days continue to go by, there is still no confirmation on whether or not Lewis Hamilton will take part in the 2021 season. While the majority of those involved in the sport expect a deal to go through, with February fast approaching, there is still no hint of a final announcement from either party. After theorising that the situation could be a marketing ploy, David Coulthard who spent 13 years in the paddock, racing for three different teams, offers further insight into the matter. "It is usually the team principal who is handling the negotiations and is empowered," Coulthard said to Express Sport. "The contracts now are so well refined with 'the drivers will use their best endeavours' and sort of normal terminology, but the essence of a contract is what you are being employed to do, what are your obligations and what are you getting in return. It is just like any other employment contract." The Scotsman goes to wonder if Wolff has the authority to sanction the contract, to begin with. "Lewis and Toto will have that conversation together and if Toto is not empowered to give Lewis what he wants then Lewis has the ability to go to Ola Kallenius at Daimler and say 'Ola, I want to do this deal, you are also the shareholders, can you make this happen?'" Coulthard elaborates. "Mercedes have the ability to add should they choose. They also have the ability to say to Toto 'we are not investing any more money in the drivers than we did last year'. "If Lewis wants more money the answer from our side is no - you have to go and find it from somewhere else'." With a month and a half to go before the official pre-season test, time is ticking for both parties when it comes to finalising a deal.
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