Hamilton’s current deal with Mercedes expires at the end of the 2023 season; Toto Wolff had previously expressed interest that a deal would be done.
Lewis Hamilton says he has agreed the financial terms and length of a contract extension with Mercedes and remains adamant the deal will be confirmed long before the end of the current Formula 1 season.
The seven-time world champion has been in negotiations with Mercedes over extending his current deal, which expires at the end of the 2023 campaign.
Both Hamilton and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have repeatedly expressed confidence that a new deal will be signed, with the latter having claimed at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix that money and length were not factors in delaying a final agreement.
Asked ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix whether he could confirm Wolff’s comments, Hamilton said: “That’s correct.”
Wolff said last month that an announcement over Hamilton’s new contract was just “days” away, but the silence that has followed led to renewed speculation over the Brit’s future.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 whether the team’s inconsistent recent form had led him to reconsider signing the new deal, Hamilton replied: “That’s not what I’m thinking.
“Before the end of the season we’ll be already well into the contract. I still have 100 per cent faith in this team.”
Speaking later on Thursday on Sky Sports’ The F1 Show, live from Silverstone grid, Hamilton gave an estimation as to how much longer he could remain in the sport.
“I’m hoping to be here a lot longer,” Hamilton said to the delight of the fans watching from the grandstand. “I feel like I’ve got another five years in me at least, no?
“Let’s see.”
Mercedes bringing new front wing to Silverstone
Mercedes have made significant changes to their troublesome W14 car, with upgrades introduced in May seeing them move away from the ‘zero-sidepod’ concept with which they begun F1’s new era of design regulations with in 2022.
There had been signs of progress as Hamilton scored consecutive podiums in Barcelona and Canada, but a torrid weekend in Austria has threatened to halt the team’s momentum.
“It is taking longer for all of us to get to where we want to be and it’s definitely not easy, but I believe that we will get there,” Hamilton said.
“We’ve just got to continue to work and chip away at it and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
While Red Bull continued their domination in Austria by making it nine wins in nine races this season, Mercedes were also completely outperformed by Ferrari, who took upgrades to Spielberg.
Hamilton confirmed that Mercedes have brought a new front wing to Silverstone, which he hopes will enable him to be more competitive at his home circuit.
“We have a new front wing, so it’s just one step, hopefully further in the right direction,” Hamilton said.
“It’s not a huge, huge package or anything like that, but we’re just making step by step, hopefully trying to close down the gap.
“Obviously, Austria was not a nice weekend for us all, but that’s where we learn the most, that’s when we pull together the most as a team.
“I was in the factory on Tuesday and Wednesday with the team and everyone was back in flat out just focused on turning that negative into a positive here this weekend.” READ MORE
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