Lewis Hamilton’s £120million contract talks ‘anything but smooth’
Negotiations between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes over a new contract for the seven-time world champion are reportedly ‘anything but smooth’.
Hamilton’s deal with the constructor ended following the recent season, which the Brit came out on top of.
Hamilton is believed to want a three-year deal worth £120m, though Mercedes are reportedly reluctant to offer the 36-year-old more than one season initially.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff had admitted the team need to be ready for plenty of curveballs as negotiations drag on.
And De Telegraaf add that the talks are not going smoothly, partly due to Hamilton’s demands.
Hamilton has previously held talks with Ferrari, though is keen to remain at Mercedes given his success.
And Wolff insists he is not concerned about the hold-up in Hamilton signing a new deal, though admits there could still be a wait.
Speaking to Autosport , Wolff said: “It doesn't worry me at all, because I will always respect Lewis's decisions.
“Whether this is staying with us for a long time, or whether that means leaving the sport and pursuing different interests. I think we need to be ready for all kinds of curveballs being thrown at us.
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“But at the same time, we talk a lot, and we are very transparent with each other. I think there is more to achieve together.”
Hamilton announced in late September 2012 that he would be leaving McLaren for Mercedes, and insists it was the right move.
The driver previously said: “I’m naturally very proud of the decision I took. I think the important lessons to take from it is in life we often need to seek approval from other people, sometimes we don’t know what the answers are so we try and get it [those answers] from people around us.
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“But those people often only have an opinion and don’t actually know what the answers are [either]. I was told by everyone around me to stay put at McLaren…even my dad said ‘stay’.
“And what I did at that time is I just had to listen and really try and dig deep and figure it out for myself and for what I wanted to do.
“Whatever decisions I take, I will have to deal with the consequences moving forwards but that’s my choice. I think that is really important for people to be themselves and do what suits you.”
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