16 June 2023 , 06:35
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Lewis Hamilton didn't give much away when asked about his Mercedes future on Thursday amid speculation surrounding a big-money move to Ferrari.
Hamilton, 38, is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a switch to rivals Ferrari. However, there is an expectation the seven-time world champion will commit his future to Mercedes, although an official announcement is not anticipated before the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
After finishing second at the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago, Hamilton said that he planned to sit down with team boss Toto Wolff to iron out the final details. And Wolff said earlier this week the driver was "days" away from putting pen to paper on fresh terms.
But when asked about his future and whether he and Wolff met up, Hamilton refused to comment. "We've never hooked up," Hamilton deadpanned. "I've seen Toto, we've talked several times," Hamilton added. "Yeah. Nothing else real to really add to it."
It was far less information to what Wolff provided last week when speaking in an interview with CNBC. "It is going to happen soon, and we are talking more days than weeks," Wolff said on the 'Squawk on the Street' program. "We have such a good relationship that we dread the moment that we need to talk about money. From a team´s perspective, Lewis and Mercedes have gone back a long time.
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"We both joined the team in 2013 together, and from a professional relationship, we now have a friendship. It has been a wonderful time," Wolff continued. "He is the most important personality in the sport. He is so multi-faceted, not only the racing, but also off track, so we need to keep him in the sport for as long as possible."
Lewis Hamilton finished second at the Spanish Grand Prix (Getty Images)Meanwhile, David Croft told Sky Sports viewers: "As far as I understand it, and I've gone and done my chats this morning, nothing this week for Lewis Hamilton and the contract announcement. I know we had some words of teasing from Toto Wolff at the start of the week. Both Lewis and Toto were together in New York, where they may or may not have had a contract chat or two.
"But Lewis made it clear the last time he spoke publicly about it that it was his management team that were sorting out the contract negotiations. But as far as I'm aware, the Mercedes team aren't preparing a press release. Nothing is on standby to go out this weekend.
"A Lewis contract, which is more likely to be two years with an option maybe for an extra year on top of that, is not going to be announced this weekend. Lewis is more concentrated on trying to add to that wonderful record here in Montreal of seven wins and six poles."