Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes - Is this the end of the road for the iconic duo?

In 2020, Lewis Hamilton had just won his seventh world title in Turkey. He was on top of the world and had been there since 2014 when the regulations changed.

The conversation around Lewis revolved around him being the GOAT. Since then, we've seen him lose the title to Max Verstappen in 2021 and then have a horror season in 2022 where even his teammate George Russell beat him.

Right now, after the first race of the season in 2023 where Lewis finished the race in P5, things are not looking good. He's out of a contract at the end of the season with Mercedes and has been in negotiations for a contract extension for some time now.

In his 11th year of partnership with Mercedes, a partnership that gave Lewis six world titles, are we looking at the end of the road?

Are we looking at the end of the Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes partnership? Let's take a look.

Mercedes is not fighting for the title this year

Mercedes has already thrown in the towel after the first race of the season. To be fair, the reaction seems to be an over-exaggeration as both Toto Wolff and George Russell have claimed that Red Bull will win all the races this season.

Will Red Bull win all the races? In a 23-race calendar, it's highly unlikely that this will happen.

Having said that, after the first race it does seem highly unlikely that Mercedes will be challenging for the title this season. To add to this, the added factor of the team looking to change concepts midseason is arguably not the best thing.

When you're changing concepts mid-season, it is more often than a death sentence to that season's campaign.

The new concept will take time to optimize and if that is the case, Mercedes is compromising multiple race weekends to better understand the car.

More or less that should put a pin on any aspirations for the title that Lewis Hamilton might have this season.

Lewis Hamilton has not signed a contract extension, what's the hold-up?

Lewis Hamilton has not signed a contract extension with Mercedes. A contract extension that has been talked about since 2022.

We've had multiple updates from both sides. Lewis has reaffirmed his faith in the team and has shown a willingness to stick around for a few more years, and Toto Wolff has also assured that an extension will be signed.

It cannot, however, be ignored that Mercedes is in a whole load of trouble this season. The car is just not good, the concept might change and it could align more with the Red Bull philosophy.

If that happens, what is the guarantee that the team will get it right next season? Or that the team will be able to catch up to a Red Bull in 12 months by working on a concept that the Austrian team has been working on for two years?

We don't know the answer to that question. We don't know if Mercedes will be able to accomplish that and if that is the case, will Lewis be confident enough to sign a multi-year deal with the team?

The answer to that question lies with Lewis and it will be very interesting to see what he thinks about this.

Is he willing to struggle for multiple years in F1?

Finally, the most important question that needs answering here is where Lewis Hamilton is prepared to struggle for multiple years in F1.

If Lewis signs a multi-year extension with Mercedes, he's committing himself to the team. Now, there is a possibility that the team is unable to produce a car capable of fighting for the title next season as well.

The question that we have to answer here is whether Lewis Hamilton will be prepared to toil for multiple years in a not-so-competitive Mercedes.

Once again, it's hard to answer this question because we have no idea how hungry Lewis is for that eighth title. He has spent the better part of the last decade in cars that are a class of the field.

He spent the 2022 F1 season gritting his teeth and hoping that the car would be back in contention in 2023.

Now, since the car is not back in contention, the dilemma has gotten deeper. Lewis doesn't know whether the car will be good or not next season. To be fair to him, the reaction from the team was one of panic as well.

According to reports, Mercedes has already given an ultimatum to technical director Mike Elliot. These are not the kinds of things that make a team great. There is a lack of stability and focus within the team and that is just not desirable in any which way.

Will Lewis Hamilton be willing to take the leadership mantle and guide the team forward? It's hard to answer this question, but that's what the future of Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes is based on.

For Lewis Hamilton to continue on his journey with Mercedes, he should be prepared for a few years of struggle in uncompetitive cars. At 38 years of age, it's a tough ask but it remains to be seen what the future holds.

It's safe to say that the partnership is on shaky grounds and if Lewis does leave Mercedes at the end of the season, it might not be as big a surprise as many would think right now.