Sir Lewis Hamilton's boss Toto Wolff has indicated that this could be the seven-time world champion's final season at Mercedes.
After months of negotiations, Hamilton ended his long-running contract saga with Formula One's all-conquering team when a deal was announced on Monday, less than seven weeks before the new campaign gets under way in Bahrain.
But Hamilton, who is this season bidding to win an unprecedented eighth crown, and his Mercedes team agreed only on a 12-month extension – raising the possibility that the Briton may be heading for his final hurrah in a Silver Arrows.
He surpassed Michael Schumacher's record number of victories last season, and emulated the German by galloping to his seventh title with three rounds remaining at November's Turkish Grand Prix.
During 2020 he also became a leading force for change, urging Mercedes and F1 to improve diversity. Indeed, an element of Hamilton's new deal includes a joint commitment with Mercedes for greater diversity and inclusion. The world champions will also retain their anti-racism black livery for Hamilton's eighth title tilt.
Perhaps surprisingly, there was no reaction from Hamilton on his social media channels to Monday's announcement. "I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes team-mates," he said in a press release. "Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track. "I'm equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. "I'm proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can't wait to get back on the track in March."
