Despite their lack of new contracts, Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton “want to stay together” at Mercedes beyond 2020.
The future of the team boss and six-time world champion is becoming a curious topic as they insist the hectic revised schedule has made it very difficult to discuss a new deal.
But at the same time, the very future of the Mercedes works team has also been subject to speculation with rumours of a potential takeover by Ineos perhaps in 2022.
It has also been claimed that Hamilton’s next move is dependent on Wolff’s, and the Austrian acknowledges the “special” relationship they share.
“We have something special because we have a very strong bond that has grown over the years,” he told Sky Sports’ Natalie Pinkham.
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“We had some difficult times, not sharing opinions, but we have somehow been able to overcome these difficult times and grow together and stronger.
“Both of us have realised that when push comes to shove we trust each other. That’s very special.
“At the end of the day, I love working with him and I think he enjoys working with me and I think together – plus the other 2000 team principals [at Mercedes] – we can achieve a lot,” Toto added.
“If one of us would call it a day for whatever reason the team is going to continue to perform and I think we recognise that, although we would miss the best driver, clearly.
“But we want to stay together.”
The role Wolff has, however, may be different as he continued to hint that, while he’ll remain at the helm of Mercedes, some of his responsibilities will be shared in a new management structure.
“What I always said is you need to realise where the point comes from very good to good because then you can’t contribute any more to an organisation’s performance,” he said.
“I don’t feel that this moment has happened yet, but in our team, we look ahead. We look at senior leaders and the potential of young ones coming up.
“We don’t want to create a bottleneck for talent to prosper and this is why far in advance we are already looking at every position.
“It doesn’t mean I’m quitting as team principal, but I’m looking ahead further down the road.
“I’m a shareholder and co-owner of the team so I wouldn’t say that’s it and I’m out of here, on the contrary – I’m just contemplating.
“But while the fun lasts we’re going to stick.”