Lewis Hamilton endured 'a lot of suffering' in the car, feels Mercedes boss Toto Wolff

Lewis Hamilton experienced a lot of suffering in the W14 during the 2023 F1 Bahrain GP, according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

The seven-time world champion had a tough race weekend in Sakhir. This was mainly due to the team not having an answer for their apparent lack of downforce and performance in the high-speed corners.

While they were able to fix some of their issues after the first practice session, Hamilton finished in P5 on race day, 51 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen.

When he was informed about the gap upon seeing the checkered flag, Lewis Hamilton simply mentioned that Mercedes have a lot of work to do if they are to return to challenging for wins.

Wolff lauded Hamilton for the manner in which he handled the team's current predicament while admitting the suffering he had to endure. While in conversation with Sky Sports, the Austrian said:

“Absolutely, shows the leadership as there must be a lot of suffering in there because the car is just so unstable and you can see that on the steering wheel. But he is fantastic. He’s been a massive performance contributor and not only in the car.”

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Lewis Hamilton could wait to assess Mercedes before signing contract extension, feels Damon Hill

Lewis Hamilton could be stalling on a possible contract extension with Mercedes as he might be waiting to assess the competitiveness of the W14 this year, according to 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill.

Hamilton is in the final year of his contract with the Silver Arrows, a team with whom he won six of his seven F1 Drivers' World Championships. While discussions on renewals have been in the air for some time now, a formal deal has not yet materialized.

Damon Hill shared his thoughts on the matter in a column for The Telegraph in the United Kingdom, where he said:

"Lewis Hamilton is out of contract at the end of this season. And it is going to be fascinating to see his next move. While both he and Mercedes have been saying for months that he plans to carry on, the fact remains that with less than a week until the first race of the year on March 5, nothing has yet been announced. It begs the question, why? One possible explanation is that both sides are waiting to see just how competitive Mercedes are before committing to a new deal."

Hill went on to add:

"If they start 2023 miles off the pace, perhaps Lewis will be less minded to sign a new long-term deal. Or perhaps it is the team who are dragging their heels. Lewis does not come cheap. He gives Mercedes a lot but he costs them a lot too. In George Russell, they have a young driver who might be capable of delivering a title in the right car."

George Russell is one of three teammates to have gotten the better of Lewis Hamilton over the course of an entire F1 season, with the other two being former world champions Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg.

Should Russell do a double over Hamilton, it could force the latter to rethink his future with both Mercedes and F1 in general.