Hamilton wants new Mercedes F1 contract before Christmas
Lewis Hamilton wants to get his new Mercedes Formula 1 contract agreed before Christmas after his positive test for COVID-19 delayed talks.
Hamilton clinched his seventh F1 world title in 2020 with three races to spare, but is out of contract at the end of the year after deciding to postpone talks with Mercedes until the championship was settled.
But after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 following the Bahrain Grand Prix at the end of last month, Mercedes was forced to shelve talks after making “baby steps”.
Both Hamilton and Mercedes have always expressed their desire to continue their relationship that has yielded 74 race wins and six world titles, insisting that a new deal was a formality.
Asked following Sunday’s 2020 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for a timeframe on when a deal could be struck, Hamilton said he hoped a new contract could be sewn up in the short period before Christmas.
“Hopefully over the next couple of weeks,” Hamilton said.
“We would love to get it done before Christmas, I think. I plan to be here next year. I want to be here next year. I think us, as a team, have more to do together and more to achieve both in the sport but even more outside the sport.
“I hope we can begin this week, discussions, and hopefully get it tied up before Christmas.”
Mercedes is one of just three teams yet to finalise its line-up for the 2020 season, having only announced Valtteri Bottas to date. Both Red Bull and AlphaTauri are yet to formalise who will drive for them next year.
Unlike those two teams, Mercedes did list Hamilton in its line-up for next year on the initial FIA entry list that emerged last week.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said a new deal with Hamilton was “going to happen” and that there’s “no reason it shouldn’t happen”, and had simply been delayed by his recovery from COVID-19.
"We will have this conversation,” Wolff said.
“We were delayed. We always said we would do it after the title was won, and then the virus delayed us for another 10 days, two weeks.
“Now we just have to sit down, maybe virtually, maybe live.”
Related video
Codemasters set to be bought by EA for $1.2bn
Why engine caution wasn't the biggest factor in Mercedes defeat
Jeddah reveals F1 track tweaks ahead of 2023 race
The promoters of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have revealed further tweaks to the Jeddah Formula 1 track layout for next year’s race to improve safety and visibility.
F1 still eyes in-car video screens to replace mirrors, but faces key hurdles
Formula 1’s move to even bigger mirrors in 2023 has again highlighted the problems that drivers face with rearward visibility.
Record crowd prompts Australian GP seating rethink
All grandstands at Albert Park have been redesigned to hold more people following the record Australian Grand Prix crowd earlier this year.
WTCR Saudi Arabia: Berthon goes from hero to zero as series comes to a close
Nathanael Berthon won the first World Touring Car Cup race in Jeddah, only to crash out in the second, as Nestor Girolami clung on to the runner-up spot as the series drew to a close.
How Red Bull's dynamic leader Mateschitz shaped its F1 philosophy
The death of Dietrich Mateschitz last month has not only deprived Red Bull of its visionary founder, it has shorn Formula 1 of one of its most influential benefactors. Mateschitz himself was famously media-shy, preferring to let the brand do the talking on his behalf. And, while it’s now normal to speak of Red Bull F1 titles and champions made, Mateschitz never assumed it would be easy or even possible – as ANTHONY ROWLINSON discovered during this previously unpublished interview from 2006…
Can Mercedes break Formula 1's cycle of doom?
OPINION: Teams that have dominated for long periods throughout Formula 1's history often take years to get back to the top of the tree once they've slipped down. But it remains to be seen whether the same will happen to Mercedes after a challenging 2022 season
What hurt Perez most in his ill-fated fight for second in Abu Dhabi
Arguably the favourite in the battle to finish second-best in 2022's Formula 1 standings, Sergio Perez's two-stop strategy at Abu Dhabi couldn't take him ahead of Charles Leclerc when the music stopped - and several key factors ultimately precluded him from the much-coveted runner-up spot.
The Abu Dhabi momentum that can propel Leclerc and Ferrari to F1 2023 success
OPINION: Charles Leclerc achieved his target of sealing runner-up in the 2022 world championship with a masterful drive behind Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi. And that race contained key elements that may help him, and Ferrari, go one better in Formula 1 2023
2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2022 Formula 1 season came to a close at the Yas Marina Circuit, where the battle for second in the standings was decided, the wins in a season record extended and a retiring four-time world champion bowed out on a high. Here's how we rated the drivers
The factors that stopped Perez catching Leclerc in Verstappen's Abu Dhabi triumph
Max Verstappen ended the 2022 Formula 1 season in fitting fashion with a dominant drive to victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But behind him, early season rival Charles Leclerc achieved his target of securing the runner-up spot with a well-executed a one-stop strategy to beat Sergio Perez, whose pursuit on a two-stop strategy was hampered by several critical factors
Why the impact of FIA’s anti-bouncing metric is hard to judge
Faced with drivers complaining about the long-term health effects of car ‘bouncing’, the FIA stepped in to deal with it. JAKE BOXALL-LEGGE explains how the so-called ‘Aerodynamic Oscillation Metric’ works, and asks if it is fit for purpose?
Where Vettel stands in the list of the greatest F1 drivers
As Sebastian Vettel’s Formula 1 career draws to a close, figuring out where he fits into the greatest of all time order is a tough and subjective call. With the aid of statistics, attributes and history, here’s how the four-time world champion stacks up in the debate