Hamilton: 2021 contract talks ‘ruined whole winter’

Sir Lewis Hamiltonsays he hopes to have a new Mercedes contract sorted by the summer break, after leaving it late to sign up for 2021.

Hamilton and Toto Wolff negotiated a new deal for 2021 over the course of the winter lull between seasons, but it didn’t leave the Briton with much time to prepare for his ninth season as a Mercedes driver – saying the contract saga “ruined my whole winter”.

Speculation about potential retirement was swirling after Hamilton only signed a one-year deal, but Wolff has since confirmed that he expects the seven-time World Champion to笔一个新多年合同银阿罗主持ws– adding that he believes his driver will be able to race into his 40s.

汉密尔顿一直在闪烁在sta形式rt of 2021, earning his 100th pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix and winning three out of four races amid stern challenges from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with a title battle emerging that features those two as the main protagonists.

With his competitive spirit clearly flourishing by competing on more equal terms with other teams, he has spoken about the importance of keeping his fitness levels as high as possible, while wanting to secure his long-term future in the sport.

Check out all the latest Lewis Hamilton merchandise on the official Formula 1 store

“There’s still some life in this old dog!” Hamilton exclaimed, paraphrasing a reporter’s question in thepost-race press conferencein Spain.

“I would say I’m more conscious than ever about my body, about my training regime. I’ve been training myself for a long time now but constantly growing and learning how to look after, naturally, the vessel that I’m given and feeling great.

“Contract-wise? Yeah, we never want to be in the position that we were in in January, in February. It ruined my whole winter and I’m sure it wasn’t helpful for Toto’s, in terms of being out to be off and relaxed, so it felt like we didn’t really have much of a break.

“I think we have to be sensible. Naturally we don’t have to rush anything but I think we have to be sensible and start conversations.

“They’re very complex, it’s never a super simple procedure and so hopefully soon we can start, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the actual job.

“We still have 19 races to do but it would be great to get something in place before the [summer] break so then we could, again, be in that break and have a clear picture of the future.”

Follow us on Twitter@Planet_F1, like ourFacebook pageandjoin us on Instagram!