Lewis Hamilton says he has not been in talks with Ferrari and he and Mercedes are near agreeing a brand new contract to maintain him on the staff past this season.
Hamilton’s cope with the Silver Arrows runs out on the finish of this season.
He stated he had a staff working with Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff on the brand new contract.
This week, there have been experiences that Ferrari had contacted Hamilton about him switching to the Italian staff.
Hamilton stated Mercedes’ struggles to be aggressive since 2022 “haven’t got a bearing” on him wanting to remain.
He added: “That is the primary time I’ve not been negotiating myself and I’ve a fantastic staff within the background doing all of the work and I can give attention to the job. I say what I would like and that is what we’re working in direction of.”
However each the seven-time champion and the Italian staff denied that was the case as F1 gathered in Monaco for this weekend’s grand prix.
“Naturally, when you find yourself in contract negations, there’s at all times going to be hypothesis and until you hear it from me, that is what it’s,” Hamilton stated.
“Perhaps with the race (in Imola final weekend) being cancelled, they only acquired bored.
“My staff is working intently behind the scenes with Toto and we’re virtually on the level of getting a contract prepared. It’s way more enjoyable now as a result of earlier than I used to be doing it myself.”
Requested immediately whether or not Ferrari had been in contact, Hamilton stated: “No.”
Ferrari staff principal Frederic Vasseur stated: “You understand completely that at this stage of the season every week you should have a special story and we’re not sending a proposal to Lewis Hamilton. We did not do it.
“We did not have discussions. I believe each single staff on the grid wish to have Hamilton at one stage – it might be garbage to not say one thing like this.”
Vasseur stated it was too early for Ferrari to begin negotiating with their drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz over their futures. Each are contracted till the top of 2024.
“Crucial (factor) for us is to remain targeted on the event within the present season,” Vasseur stated.
“In a few months, we’ll have the slot to debate concerning the future.
“We agreed that we’ll focus on concerning the contracts afterward and I do not need to change as a result of we had rumours from somebody that Lewis might come or Charles might go or Carlos might go. We’re coping with our jobs internally and I’ll keep targeted on the plan.”
Drivers on Mercedes improve
Hamilton stated he was trying ahead to making an attempt the upgraded automobile Mercedes have dropped at Monaco, which is step one in a improvement plan kicked off when Wolff admitted on the first race of the season that the staff had made a mistake in pursuing their distinctive automobile idea.
The Mercedes design revised sidepods, ground and entrance suspension, and it’s in the same vein to that pioneered by Purple Bull when F1’s new guidelines have been launched in 2022.
Facets of the design additionally bear similarities to the Aston Martin, which has been the shock of the season in 2023.
“It will likely be fascinating to see the way it works,” Hamilton stated. “I do not suppose we might be combating for a win however hopefully we might be extra within the battle.
We’re nonetheless a championship-winning staff however we’ve had the fallacious automobile and a few choices which were made are usually not ideally suited.”
Staff-mate George Russell stated Mercedes wouldn’t draw any conclusions concerning the efficiency of the improve this weekend due to the distinctiveness of the tight and twisty Monaco circuit.
Russell stated: “We’re conscious it is a very one-of-a-kind circuit and we’re not going to learn something into the efficiency that the brand new updates present this weekend.
“There are at all times outliers in groups who over carry out round tracks like Monaco and groups that underperform. However in the end we do not design a automobile to be at its peak in Monaco.
“I belief within the staff and I do not suppose there might be something scary with the improve that throws us off-piste.
“We’ll deal with it as a one-of-a-kind after which re-evaluate in Barcelona (the next weekend).
“I’m glad we’re continuing with it since you at all times need to put as a lot efficiency on the automobile as doable and it might have been a demoralising weekend for all of us had we identified we had a little bit of efficiency on the desk.”
