Team Principal Toto Wolff has revealed that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have the same opinion about who should be his teammate in 2022. Valtteri Bottas and George Russell are the contenders for the second Mercedes seat, with no announcement expected until after the end of the current F1 triple-header, which will be at the Italian GP on September 12. "Lewis is a very important part of the team," Wolff told Sky Sports. "He's really not a driver: drivers are normally contractors, they come and then maybe they go for another opportunity. "Lewis has been with us... I think we're in the ninth year together. [He's] such an incredibly important [person] like all these guys. "So he's part of the discussion. Him and I are brainstorming what's best for the team. He's taking the driver cap off, really, because when he's got the driver cap on, we pretty much know both what's good for him. "But he's also taking the team's view and we have been discussing all throughout the summer and we have the same opinion." Wolff admits there is a generational change currently happening in F1 and many teams have at least one highly promising young driver in their line-up. "I think you want to do it sooner rather than later because both drivers that are in the run for this cockpit, they need to know," added Wolff. "For us, it was always important, whatever step we take, we need to know what happens to George and to Valtteri if we decide for one of them. That is something that I'm considering all the time. "We are not going to take a decision unilaterally without knowing where the direction goes for the other one."
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