“A transfer window? That’s a new one,” he said ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. “It's really exciting in the other sports, like in the NFL.
“But it's quite exciting now (in F1). No one knows who's going where.”
Unlike the North American sports model, F1 is the wild west. Drivers can negotiate with new teams while under contract instead of waiting for free agency.
The result this year is a full-on game of musical chairs only nine stops into the 24-race season.
Hamilton sparked an earlier-than-usual market in February by announcing a shock move to Ferrari from
But as the travelling F1 circus arrives in
“Lewis triggered a bit more action this year," Sauber driver
Hamilton said it’s nice to watch the frenzy he helped create from afar.
“When you do have drivers moving around, it does cause this bit of chaos,” Hamilton said. “It's quite an exciting time. For (me and Hulkenberg), we're lucky and we feel very fortunate that we've got something locked in.
“It's exciting for us to now see where everyone's moving.”
For now, Ferrari’s
The Spanish driver has been linked with teams across the grid but insists he’s still weighing his options despite the high-flying rumours.
“It makes me laugh,” Sainz said. “I remember seeing reports three months ago that I had signed for
“Now people saying I've signed for Williams, makes me laugh."
The coveted seat next to three-time defending champion
Perez’s heart was always with
“There were other options out there,” he said. “But for me, my plan A, B, and C was definitely to stay at Red Bull.”
Pilots driving for an outfit they may not be part of next year are left in the dark about their team’s future plans, but they say that’s just part of the sport.
"It's nothing strange,” said Bottas, whose contract with Sauber expires this year. “Like Lewis, if you know you're leaving already to another team, of course things aren't the same as if you're gonna stay there.
"I haven't seen much about next year's car, if I'm honest, but that's normal, that's how it goes. That will go the same way for any driver who's not confirmed yet."
The status of Lance Stroll’s contract is unknown. The
"We know that Aston Martin is Lance's home. He prefers to concentrate on the Montreal Grand Prix here, there's already enough going on,” Aston Martin team principal
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
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