Louis, we know the car sucks.

It’s a radio message with a whole series of messages that Toto Wolff sends to Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix. With 20 laps to go, the Mercedes team boss reports to his star driver, who is currently seventh.

Occasion? Hamilton asks his race engineer Peter Bonnington why race officials don’t penalize his opponents. “Bono” reassures the record world champion – there are still warnings and time fines for the competition.

Then Wolff suddenly intervened: “Lewis, we know the car is bad. Please just drive it,” says the Austrian. Hamilton had complained before many times – both about the penalty situation and his slow car.

Indeed, Mercedes is facing a setback at the Austrian Grand Prix after recent successes. In Spain and Canada one can celebrate the podium positions, at the ousted Red Bull circuit. In the end, only seventh and eighth places resulted.

Wolff’s radio message to Hamilton sounds apologetic and rebuke: On the one hand, Mercedes knows that race victories and world championship titles are still a long way off. On the other hand, the complaints of the Briton do not make the W14 faster …

Is this perhaps one of the reasons why there is a problem with extending the contract? Toto Wolff has maintained for months that it must be just a matter of detail. The Austrian has announced several times that Hamilton will sign soon.

According to the English media, the Briton is said to see things very differently. Apparently, there is disagreement, especially on financial issues. Hamilton must now claim his former World Cup reward as a fixed amount – because World Cup titles are currently unlikely.

In addition, the Briton has to claim a multi-year contract – but it seems that his team is only offered for one year. Even with Hamilton’s role as Mercedes brand ambassador after stepping down, there is no green branch.

However, currently everything points to an extension of the contract between Hamilton and Mercedes. It seems impossible that the 38-year-old would look for another team to attack the eighth world title he had been waiting for.