Motorsport

LEWIS HAMILTON says he is closing in on signing his new Mercedes deal, worth around £100million.The seven-time F1 world champion is out of contract at the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton is closing in on a new £100m Mercedes dealCredit: Getty
He currently earns £40m a year with Merc, while rival Max Verstappen is on £37m with Red Bull.
Hamilton’s new contract is now set to blow the Dutchman’s out of the water at around £50m a year. 
And he says his new deal is in the hands of the lawyers.
Hamilton, 38, was quizzed by SunSport ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian GP about the progress over the new deal, which is expected to be a two-year extension.
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He said: “I actually like these questions, so you can keep them going… It’s very, very close.”
When asked if it would be tied up before the summer break after next week’s Belgian GP, he added: “Nope… It might be announced at the end of the year. I might keep you waiting! 
“Honestly, I don’t have any more information for you to share. It continues to be with the lawyers, back and forth on things. 
“I’ve not been part of it the whole time. I’ve been removed from it from the beginning. 
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“I’ve been wanting to focus on all the other things I have going on. The team has been working on it in the background. 
“There’s no negotiation left. It’s just all the small bits.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton was also quizzed about rumours that up to three teams have breached the cost-cap limit.
Teams were limited to spending $140m (£109m) in 2022 to develop their cars with reports in Italy claiming teams have fallen foul of the rules.
Red Bull were fined $7m (£5.5m) last year and given a 10 percent reduction in wind tunnel time as a punishment for last year’s breach.
Hamilton said: “It’s definitely a concern. I mean, it wasn’t really a big punishment last time so there’s no real [deterrent].
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“There’ll be people that will probably go for it again, and know they’re just gonna get slapped on the wrist.”
Asked what punishment he feels would be appropriate Hamilton added: “I’m not going to say what it should be, it’s not my job to do that.
“We have people in place that are supposed to police that, but it doesn’t surprise me. It was not a big penalty before.”
His Mercedes teammate George Russell however also called for greater punishment for repeat offenders, should they be found to have overspent.
He added: “If anybody has breached any regulation, you want the punishment to represent the crime.
“There were breaches last year, and clearly the punishment didn’t fit the crime. We don’t want to see that happen again.
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“And if it’s a second-time offender, the punishment should be even greater than what it perhaps a fair punishment, if it happens two years in a row.
“I trust the FIA, Mohammed is a great force, and they won’t let anybody get away with something that shouldn’t have happened under their watch.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON has hinted at his future plans amid ongoing contract talks. The seven-time Formula One champion’s current contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton has given a big hint on his F1 futureCredit: Getty
His contract at Mercedes expires at the end of the seasonCredit: Alamy
The two parties have been in ongoing talks for months.
But now Hamilton appears to have given the biggest hint yet that he will still be on the grid next season.
When asked about the constructor’s plans for next year’s car, Hamilton revealed there had been a number of “big meetings” in recent weeks.
He said: “We’ve just got to continue to work and chip away at it and that’s what we are trying to do.
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“We will have bits [coming to the car] over the [upcoming] races, it could come soon enough, but I’m pushing as hard as I can.
“I was having big meetings with the team, speaking to the head of aerodynamics, head of vehicle dynamics with what is in mind for next year’s car.”
Despite Hamilton and Mercedes team Principal Toto Wolff both seemingly being on the same page for the 38-year-old’s new deal, Hamilton has also been heavily linked with a team switch.
Ferrari had been the main party linked with the Brit, but Red Bull boss Christian Horner has admitted his team have considered making a move for Hamilton in the past.
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He revealed: “Lewis is obviously a great driver. Hopefully he’ll be around for many years to come.
“There’s been a couple of occasions in history that we’ve had a couple of conversations about the possibility of joining Red Bull, but that’s not been anytime recently.”
While Hamilton has won six of his seven titles at Mercedes, they are currently nowhere close to the pace of Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Hamilton secured a podium finish at the Silverstone Grand Prix but remains in the hunt for his first race win in F1 since 2021.
Next weekend’s race – the Hungary GP – is another track Hamilton has a particular affinity for, winning eight times around the Hungaroring Circuit.
And he will need to find his best pace if he is to stand a chance at beating Verstappen and Co who are set to bring upgrades to their car which could reportedly make them up to two-tenths quicker.
Away from the track Hamilton has been linked with music superstar Shakira.
Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year More