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Lewis Hamilton says a new Mercedes Formula 1 contract is “probably” a formality and insists the lack of a renewal so far is down to it not being “a priority”.
Hamilton is on course for his sixth title in eight seasons with Mercedes, which is poised to score a record-breaking seventh consecutive constructors’ championship.
The two parties have insisted they intend to strike a fresh deal beyond 2020, with each side motivated to continue beyond their immense achievements so far, as well as lacking viable alternatives.
With Ferrari committed to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr next year and Red Bull securing a long-term deal for Max Verstappen, there appear to be no attractive propositions vs Mercedes for Hamilton, while the team has no freely-available proven race winners to turn to should he leave.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had targeted the gaps in the second half of the coronavirus-affected schedule to sit down with Hamilton and negotiate a new contract, but the first two opportunities to do that have passed.
Negotiations are still yet to begin, less than two months before the end of the season and with little more remaining until the end of 2020.
Asked by The Race ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix if it is a formality he will sign a new deal or whether something specific is holding the process up, Hamilton said: “Not particularly. We just haven’t really spoke that much about it.
“A formality? I don’t know. Probably.
“At some stage, I guess we have to sit down and have conversation but it’s not a priority right now. Getting the job done this year, for me personally, is the priority. So that’s what I’m solely focused on right now.”
Hamilton has previously stated that “I do see myself going for at least another three years” but his response over the likelihood of a new deal appeared less emphatic on Thursday than before.
However, he went on to say that he does not feel “uneasy” about the negotiation process and insisted that “when the time is right we’ll do it and get on with it”.
“I’ve always been committed to this team,” he said. “Always completely transparent.
“I think that’s always been a key. I know if you don’t have communication for a while people can start to hear whispers.
“I could, for example, worry that Toto is speaking to somebody else, which is silly – I don’t think that but I’m just saying that’s what humans can do.
“And so it’s always been important for us just to be really clear with each other, with our intentions.
“I haven’t spoken to anybody else, I don’t plan to. And at some stage Toto and I will sit down and work out our paths moving forward.
“We’ve achieved quite a lot together. It’s quite remarkable what we’ve done together I think, over these years, and we’re still not done.”
Both parties emphatically rejected claims earlier this year that Hamilton’s salary demands were an obstacle to a new deal, as both Wolff and Hamilton said there had not been any discussions.
Hamilton did hint that some details are not quite as clear-cut as they might normally be, though.
He has previously said he feels uncomfortable discussing finances in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which has had a devastating impact on some companies and businesses and increased unemployment in many areas.
And Hamilton said that the consequences of the pandemic, which could be an obstacle to Daimler and Mercedes recognising Hamilton’s commercial value as a likely seven-time world champion and statistically the most successful driver in F1 history by the end of this year, was a “very relevant” point.
“When we do sit down, normally it’s been three-year periods,” Hamilton said. “But of course, we’re in a different time. Do I want to continue for three years, is also a question.
“There are many, many questions still to be answered. And we are also going into a new era of car in 2022. So it kind of excites me what could happen in 2022, in terms of what the cars are like.
“Everyone’s had a big hit this year. But if you look at the future, I think the future’s bright, I think there’s going to be some changes.
“Ola [Kallenius, Daimler boss] came out with the new plan that Mercedes have moving forward in terms of sustainability, in terms of pushing their cars to move to electric and the same with AMG. So I think the future is bright.
“I think I’ve earned the right or the position to be able to stay for a decent amount of time.
“So time will tell. I can’t really say too much more. Hopefully, you’ll hear something in the next couple months.”
Much of Hamilton’s sentiments leave little room for interpretation and in all likelihood Hamilton and Mercedes will come to a swift agreement when the negotiations do start.
There do appear to at least be some unresolved issues, but while a new contract has always seemed a matter of course Hamilton has said that it is usually just small details that need to be thrashed.
In the middle of a pandemic and with Hamilton keen not to return to the hectic life he led before this year, those details are probably unique in the context of his F1 contract negotiations.
The prospect of a Nico Rosberg-style disappearance after clinching the championship this year appears extremely thin, not least because Hamilton has eyes on more success or because it would be immensely out of character to drop Mercedes in that kind of scenario.
But Hamilton is likely to want a clear run at the negotiation so he can establish exactly what it is he wants and what Mercedes is able and willing to offer.
Duration, salary, commitments and expectations are all, to a greater or lesser extent, up for debate, which may explain why it is taking so very long for Hamilton to consider his next F1 contract.
After all, it might well be his last.
