Lewis Hamilton ‘close to signing final Mercedes contract’ as salary and details emerge

Lewis Hamilton's 'natural ability is fantastic' says Button

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Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are reportedly close to agreeing to terms on a contract extension for the Formula One legend. The 36-year-old is expected to put pen to paper on the deal before the season’s summer break in August.

The new deal is believed to be a two-year contract and worth around £30million per year, according to the Daily Mail.

Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013 and the partnership has proved a lucrative one, with the British driver winning all-but one of the F1 titles since 2014.

His extraordinary run of success has seen him become the most successful driver in Formula 1 history with 98 career wins to date. And Hamilton also leads the way for career pole positions (100).

Last weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix was his 274th race start, sixth on the all-time list, and only Michael Schumacher and Ferrari have combined for more F1 races as a driver-constructer partnership than Hamilton’s 164 starts at Mercedes.

And the seven-time World Champion’s record-breaking success has also seen him become the richest British sports star in history, according to last year’s Sunday Times Rich List.

The Hamilton and Mercedes partnership may look set to continue beyond 2022, but it is not the dominant force in the sport this year.

The Brit trails Max Verstappen in the driver standings, with Red Bull having won all four of the last Grand Prix.

And following his second-place finish in Austria at the weekend, Hamilton made some complaints about his team’s uncompetitive engine.

“I don’t know really where they [Red Bull] were gaining all the speed, but I think it was everywhere in general, particularly on the straights as far as I’m aware,” Hamilton said.

“We’ve not brought any upgrades. I don’t remember the last time we had an upgrade. But, they have. They’ve clearly brought the engine upgrade and brought some other part of the package and it’s just keeping them ahead.”

Mercedes Principal Toto Wolff responded, saying that the team were happy with the engine and that work on upgrades would now be focused on next season’s model.

But Red Bull chief Christian Horner has called Wolff’s bluff and is fully expecting further upgrades as the season progresses.

“We know Toto loves to throw the light somewhere else,” Horner said. “I cannot believe they’ll go through the rest of this year without putting a single component on the car.

“All we can do is focus on our own job. It’s a balancing act between this year and next year but if that means we’ve got to work a bit harder we’re fully up for it.

“You’re at the top of the curve with these cars and into marginal gains. When you look at the new car for next year, every time it goes through a development cycle it’s significant steps.

“It’s getting the balance right between marginal gains for this year and big steps for next year. But that’s no different to how it’s been in the past.”
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