Lewis Hamilton Is Not Influencing Mercedes' Decision Regarding His Teammate, Says Toto Wolff

KEY POINTS

Lewis Hamilton signed a new deal earlier this year
He is committed to Mercedes until the end of 2023
His teammate for next season will be decided during the summer break

F1 reigning champion Lewis Hamilton is not influencing Mercedes' decision regarding his future partner and is "okay" to team up with either Valtteri Bottas or George Russell next season, team's boss Toto Wolff said Monday.

Earlier this year, Hamilton signed a contract extension, which will keep him at Mercedes until the end of 2023. However, his teammate for the F1 2022 season is yet to be decided.

Although Wolff has repetitively said that the final call will be made during the summer break, there have been speculations about Botta nearing his end at Mercedes. Bottas recently received praise from Wolff at the British Grand Prix for helping Hamilton win the race following leader Max Verstappen's early retirement.

"We have to put our heads together in Brackley and discuss the matter with Mercedes in order to work out what our future driver pairing should look like. We will come together over the summer, reach a decision then decide how we want to communicate this," Wolff told Motorsport-Total.com.

In the same interview, Wolff went on to explain that Hamilton understands both the pros and the cons that come with Bottas and Russell.

"Lewis is okay with both scenarios. He understands the pros and cons that speak for Valtteri and George. Lewis has never tried to influence the decision and he has no preference as to who should be in the car. He likes the relationship with Valtteri, and we know it too. But he never said that he would like this or that best," the Austrian investor and former racing driver.

Wolff also admitted that the pair of Hamilton and Bottas brings the needed balance in the team.

"To be honest, I feel like that we currently have the pairing that delivers best when it comes to balance in the team and the knowledge of how we can develop our car," Wolf explained.

Lewis Hamilton is congratulated by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas after winning a seventh drivers' crown POOL / Kenan Asyali

After 10 races into the 2021 campaign, seven-time world champion Hamilton is currently in second place and is trailing Red Bull's Verstappen by eight points.