F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Could Quit After 2020 Season, Coulthard Says

David Coulthard believes Lewis Hamilton could walk away from Formula 1 after the 2020 season when the Concorde Agreement comes to an end.

The Briton is in the final seven months of his contract with Mercedes and is yet to agree a new deal to remain in Formula 1 beyond 2018. Hamilton and the Mercedes hierarchy are clear that they both want to continue with each other but are yet to reach an agreement despite being in talks since the end of last season.

The four-time world champion is expected to sign a new deal to make him the joint highest earner in F1 alongside Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, but Coulthard believes it could be a short-term deal, one that will last for just two seasons.

The current Concorde Agreement that binds the commercial rights holder, the FIA and all the teams will end in 2020. There are a number of changes planned for the future of the sport from 2021 by the new owners – Liberty Media – and the teams are not in agreement with all the changes.

Apart from Hamilton being wary about the way the sport moves forward, the former McLaren driver, who has 13 F1 wins, feels he could want to focus on other interests – mainly music. The British driver leads an active life away from the race track and is a regular at a number of glamorous events like fashion shows and music award ceremonies.

It is no secret that he is working on a music album and Coulthard indicated that 2020 could see him release his first album, which could see him walk away from the sport that has thus far earned him four world titles.

“I think it has got to be on his mind,” Coulthard said, as quoted on PlanetF1. “I think that he will go to 2020 which is [the end of] the current Concorde Agreement.”

“That is the agreement between the commercial rights holder, the FIA and the teams,” he added. “It defines how the sport looks and feels.

“I think beyond 2020 there is every likelihood he may well be releasing his first [music] album which he has been working on,” the Scot added.

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who is also out of contract at the end of the season, is hoping to remain the Briton’s teammate beyond the 2018 campaign. The Finn has urged Hamilton to sign on the dotted line and commit his future to the Brackley-based team.

While a new Mercedes contract for Hamilton is a certainty, it is not the same for Bottas, who joined from Williams at the start of the 2017 season. He was offered a one-year deal when he arrived and was given a further year’s extension in the latter stages of last season.

“Of course, it would be nice that Lewis stays too, because I enjoy working with him,” Bottas said about Hamilton, as quoted on PlanetF1.

“The fact that he was won four championships and me none pushes me to outdo myself,” the Finn added. “We work well together and that is why I would rather stay with Lewis on this team.”

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, is happy with the Finnish racer, but admitted that a decision on Hamilton’s teammate will be made in the summer with a number of candidates in contention from within the team and outside.