Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes F1 team agree contract talks pact
Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes Formula 1 team have agreed to put future contract talks on hold until the heat of the world championship battle has died down
Although both parties are eager to stay together beyond the current deal that runs out after 2015, there are concerns that discussions to sort things out could prove a distraction during what is becoming an increasingly intense title fight.
As part of the plan to wait to sort out a new contract, it has emerged that Hamilton and Mercedes have both agreed to an exclusivity deal, whereby they will not speak to anyone else until they know what they are doing together.
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff insisted that although Nico Rosberg had recently extended his deal with the team, there was no rush to finalise things with Hamilton because he was still guaranteed to be at the team until at least the end of 2015.
"At this stage things are very intense and you have to stay concentrated on the season," explained Wolff when asked about the progress of Hamilton contract talks.
"But one thing is for sure: we are not going to talk to anybody else before having a very clear situation about how we can continue to work with Lewis.
"This is what we said to each other - that we have no interest of having any other conversation with any other driver, and we are not having any, and Lewis is not having any discussion with any other team.
"That is why we trust each other.
"At the moment we need to be concentrated on the championship and not get involved in intense [contract] discussions, because it is something that is one and a half years away from us."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Top Comments
Fake gravel among new track limits measures for US Grand Prix
What we learned about Renault's F1 engine shutdown
Jon Noble: Why even F1’s cleverest minds get lost in explaining rollercoaster season
Mental health charity says Hamilton's depression revelations will have "powerful impact"
Hamilton strategy "battle" puts Mercedes in spotlight - but forget conspiracy theories
The Prost podium conundrum that Hamilton may face at Monza
Aston Martin: Sharing Mercedes wind tunnel 'no excuse' for 2024 struggle
Wolff: It's time to stop "flirting" with Verstappen
The hard-to-shift narratives Mercedes needs Antonelli's next steps to dispel
Michael Andretti: Step back from team ownership role "isn't a goodbye"
IndyCar to race around the Dallas Cowboys NFL stadium in 2026
Why Aston Martin F1 reserve Drugovich was "surprised" by IndyCar test
How the BTCC showdown culminated in a new king of the Hill
When McLaren conquered F1 and the Indy 500
How Hulkenberg transformed his F1 career with Haas
Jon Noble: Why even F1’s cleverest minds get lost in explaining rollercoaster season
Can Alpine’s latest regime change shift its course?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
