MERCEDES bosses have calmed talk of Lewis Hamilton earning a new contract this summer, according to reports.
Motorsport.com’s Italian edition has claimed there is increased tension among the German marque’s senior decision makers following the F1 Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton, 36, voiced his discontent having qualified seventh on the Principality grid.
And he failed to climb any places during the race – despite Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas retiring from in front of him.
The result allowed Max Verstappen to snatch first place in the drivers’ championship with Red Bull also jumping to top spot in the constructors’.
Before the race, Hamilton had been set to sign on the dotted line for another year with Mercedes by the summer.
It had taken the team and driver until the eve of the 2021 season to finally tie him down for the defence of his world title.
But this latest report suggests there is uncertainty within the Merc camp, although the final decision rests with team principal Toto Wolff.
The salary package is said to have already been agreed, leaving only Hamilton’s potential post-F1 role with the car manufacturer up for discussion.
Earlier this month, the driver had insisted that he wants to settle the matter before August’s summer break.
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It’s never a super simple procedure and so hopefully soon we can start, as long as it doesn’t interfere the actual job.
Lewis Hamilton
He said: “We never want to be in the position in January, February.
“It ruined my whole winter and I’m sure it wasn’t helpful for Toto’s, in terms of being 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 the actual job.
“It would be great to get something in place before the break so then we could be in that break and have a clear picture of the future.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
