"A sign to Lewis that..." Merc's changes a ploy to convince Hamilton to stay?
Ahead of this weekend’s F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Mercedes announced that James Allison would return as the team’s technical director, while Mike Elliott would take over as chief technical officer.
The news has been met with a positive reception from both Hamilton and George Russell.
The seven-time world champion is still out of contract at the end of the year, although he’s publicly stated that he wishes to remain with the team.
Speaking on Thursday in Baku, Hill gave his verdict on the technical management changes.
“It was probably a combination. It was abundantly clear that Mercedes was not the car of the previous era,” he said. "The car looks different to other cars, notably the Red Bull or the Ferrari.
“The question was raised in 2022 - is it the right way to go? 2023 comes around, still no race-winning car. It didn’t Lewis to point it out. But Lewis was vocal. He was echoing what everyone was feeling and saying.
“Toto Wolff will bang heads together and say: ‘We need to make changes’. I think Lewis can probably wait a little bit longer until he feels confident.
“I can’t imagine that Mercedes are pressuring him. They know that they’ve got things to work out. They have made some changes to their design structure, with James Allison coming back, and Mike Elliott overseeing the whole group. A bit of shuffling around.
“You could read that as a [sign] to Lewis that they are going to make changes at Mercedes, so they have a competitive car going forwards.”
Hill believes if Hamilton decided to walk away from Mercedes, Charles Leclerc would be the ideal replacement amid speculation that the Ferrari driver has held talks with Toto Wolff.
“He would be a strong bet,” he added. “He is a talent that a lot of people feel is wasted at Ferrari.
“Ferrari have not given him what he needs to develop, and to deliver results. I can imagine the frustration is getting to Charles.
“If Mercedes said to him: ‘Lewis is deciding to move on, would you be interested?’ I’m sure he’d jump at that chance.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
