Lewis Hamilton must not get carried away by eighth title - Toto Wolff

Mercedes

Hamilton must not get carried away by eighth title - Wolff

Hamilton can move one championship clear of Schumacher with victory this season

Ewan Gale

Sunday 14 February 2021 09:00

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton not to get carried away in his quest for a record-breaking eighth Formula 1 world title this season.

Another championship this year will see Hamilton statistically become the undisputed greatest driver in F1 history, with his chances healthy given the large carryover of the regulations from last season, albeit Mercedes has conceded to "issues" with its power unit.

Wolff, however, has insisted the team as a collective group must follow the old adage of taking the season one race at a time.

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"If you start to spend too much time thinking about an eighth title you forget that in between there are 20 or so races that you need to finish in the best possible outcome," said Wolff.

"In that respect, of course, the eighth title is out there, but it's not going to be something that's going to play on his mind a lot, nor does it play on our mind a lot because we need to concentrate on the job."

Hamilton enters the new season aiming for a fifth successive title, albeit on the back of only recently signing a one-year deal that means there will be the distraction in the background of whether he will continue beyond this season.

Much has been made of Hamilton's likely demands regarding the new contract despite the world being in a very different economic place compared to recent times.

Wolff, though, has made clear the financial aspect of Hamilton's deal was relatively straightforward.

"Lewis has always recognised this is a very difficult period, difficult for everybody, difficult from a health point of view," added Wolff.

"There are much more important topics than Formula 1 racing, and that the auto industry is in a transformation phase.

"So the money topic wasn't the sticking point, it was more about 'Let us get going for 2021'."