What reluctant Hamilton gave away about Mercedes F1 contract talks
The seven-time world champion has just six months remaining on his current deal but is expected to sign a contract extension after holding the latest round of talks with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff following the Spanish Grand Prix.
- How to follow this weekend's F1 Canadian GP
- Can Hamilton eclipse Schumacher as F1’s Canada king this weekend?
Despite Wolff’s suggestion that a deal could be finalised ahead of this weekend’s race, there has been no further news.
And no announcement about Hamilton’s future will be made this week, according to Sky Sports F1’s David Croft.
While Hamilton refused to divulge too much information, he did confirm progress has been made over a new deal.
“It’s the same as the previous two races, there’s not really anything to add at the moment,” Hamilton said. “But as soon as I have something, I’ll let you know.”
When questioned about Wolff’s remark that “we are talking more days than weeks” before his future is resolved, Hamilton responded: “We had a good meeting recently. They are very complex, contracts, so it’s not just a simple driving contract.”
Hamilton was then asked if the reason for his protracted negotiations was down to him ironing out terms for a post-racing ambassador role with Mercedes.
“I can’t tell you what I’m trying to put in my contract,” he replied with a grin.
And what about Hamilton’s push for diversity and inclusion?
"We already covered a lot of that already in the previous contract,” he explained. “We have an amazing group of people in the factory that are really focused on Ignite.
"There has been huge progress within our team since we first had serious conversations. With Mission 44 I'm really proud of where we have got it to. We are now funding 25 or 26 different organisations out there.
"Starting to really have an impact and hopefully we will have a fresher chain coming through with more diversity."
The 38-year-old stressed there is no need to rush his contract negotiations and reiterated that he has no plans to quit F1 any time soon.
“Right now I’m focused mostly on planning to be here, racing for still a decent chunk of time," Hamilton insisted.
“You’ve got to explore all avenues in the sense of how you can continue to expand your partnership with such a great organisation.
“It’s not as easy as just saying ‘go ahead’ - and I don’t have to be in a rush.”
Hamilton’s comment about “racing for a decent chunk of time” was particularly intriguing in light of a report that emerged in The Daily Mail later on Thursday night.
According to the British newspaper, Hamilton has demanded a five-year contract worth £250m to re-sign for Mercedes.
The contract saga will no doubt continue to be the talk of the F1 paddock for the rest of the weekend in Montreal.
