Lewis Hamilton has knocked back Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s claim that he is on the brink of signing a new contract.
Earlier this week, team principal Wolff said Hamilton’s contract renewal would be resolved “in days rather than weeks”, adding that he was “trying hard” to finalise terms with his superstar driver before this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
But speaking in Montreal on Thursday, Hamilton, 38, said: “I don’t have a huge amount to say on the contract.
“It will get done when it is done. If that is next week, or in a month’s time, as long as it gets done, I am not really bothered.”
After the previous round in Barcelona, Wolff said it would take only “half an hour over coffee” to agree an extension to Hamilton’s £40million-a-season deal which expires in six months.
Hamilton met with Wolff the day following the Spanish Grand Prix in the hope of rubber-stamping a new deal – which is set to extend the seven-time world champion’s stay in Formula One beyond his 40th birthday – and has also spent time with the Austrian in New York this week.
Hamilton added: “I have seen Toto and we have talked several times. We have a great relationship but there is nothing to say at the moment.”
Asked if any progress on negotiations had been made, Hamilton replied: “Yes, but there is nothing new to add to it.”
Hamilton, who has not won a race since his contentious championship defeat to Max Verstappen at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, is already 83 points off the title pace this year.
On Sunday, a sixth victory of the season for Verstappen would put him on 41 victories for his career, equalling Ayrton Senna’s tally, with only Hamilton (103 wins), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him.
And Hamilton admitted Verstappen, still only 25, could break his record.
“He has got a very long career ahead of him so he absolutely could,” said Hamilton. “Records are there to be broken and he has got an amazing team.
“Max has been doing an amazing job and he has had an incredible career so far.
“But we have got to work harder to try and continue to extend our record and I hope, with the period of time I have left in my career, I get to have more close racing with him.”
Sainz to team up with Williams for Abu Dhabi test
Carlos Sainz will team up with Williams early to drive their FW46 car in next month's post-season test in Abu Dhabi, the constructor has announced.
Sainz agreed to join Williams in July after losing his Ferrari seat to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who stunned the Formula One world by exercising a break clause in his contract with Mercedes earlier this year.
The Spaniard is currently fifth in the drivers' championship standings, with his two race wins for the year coming in Australia and Mexico.
On Friday, Williams confirmed he will join the team for post-season testing on December 10, two days after the campaign ends with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
"This early opportunity will allow both Carlos and Williams to begin building their relationship," a team statement read.
"The test session will provide a valuable chance for Carlos to begin integrating into his new team environment, and he will drive the FW46 for the first time."
Hamilton is not expected to take part in Ferrari's post-season tests, due to his ongoing commitments with Mercedes.
Sainz confident of more F1 wins once leaving Ferrari
Carlos Sainz is confident he will continue to fight for Formula 1 wins once he leaves Ferrari for Williams at the end of the season.
The 30-year-old is now in the final stretch of his four-year stint with Ferrari, with whom he has won four races.
Sainz has three more opportunities to add to that number, starting with the Las Vegas GP next week.
While the Spaniard would love to bow out on a high with Ferrari, he does not believe joining Williams will end any hopes of further triumphs.
"Nothing would make me happier than achieving something like that before the end of the year," he said when asked if he's targeting victory across the final three races.
"I'm going to give it my absolute best. If it comes, great, and I'll be for sure celebrating. And if it doesn't, I don't believe it will be my last chance of fighting for wins or podiums in Formula 1.
"I'll carry on working hard to try to get myself in a position – even if it's with Williams – to put myself in a position to win another race.
"That's what I'm hungry for and that's what I believe I can do, and that's what I've proven that I can do in Ferrari. So, yeah, it doesn't end there."
The most recent of Sainz's victories came at the Mexican Grand Prix last month when bouncing back from losing the lead to Max Verstappen.
Ferrari have not won a title in F1 since 2008 and are 36 points behind McLaren heading into the Las Vegas GP, which is followed by races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
However, Sainz's team-mate Charles Leclerc is hopeful of closing that gap by coming out on top in the States, having himself finished second behind Verstappen on this track last year.
"I think on paper it's a track where we should perform well," he told Sky Sports News.
"However, the fact we have improved a lot with tyre management, means on a track where it is so cold, it will be difficult to put the tyres in the right window.
"On paper, it still looks positive. Maybe not as positive as last year but seeing how close everything is, I believe we will have a shot to win it."
Hamilton lauds 'quite incredible' Ferrari form ahead of 2025 move
Lewis Hamilton said watching Ferrari and McLaren overhaul Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship has been "quite incredible" ahead of his move to the Italian team.
Red Bull appeared to be set for another dominant year on track after Max Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races, with team-mate Sergio Perez also securing four podiums.
However, Red Bull endured a mid-season struggle, with Verstappen failing to win in 10 races before his stunning wet-weather display at the Brazilian Grand Prix last time out.
The Dutchman is on the cusp of a fourth world championship after title rival Lando Norris could only manage sixth in Interlagos, leaving him 62 points behind in the standings.
But going into the final three races of the season, Red Bull find themselves third in the constructors' championship, 44 points behind leaders McLaren and 13 adrift of Ferrari.
Before Verstappen's victory in Brazil, Ferrari had claimed back-to-back victories in the United States and Mexico.
Charles Leclerc, Hamilton's team-mate for the Scuderia next season, won in Austin to emerge victorious for the eighth time in the competition.
That triumph was then followed up by a win at the Autrodromo Hermanos Rodriguez by Carlos Sainz, who will make way for Hamilton and join Williams next season.
And Ferrari's recent displays on track have Hamilton excited about the potential of challenging for an eighth world championship next season.
"I'm very interested in my future, of course," said Hamilton. "And so, in that respect, keeping an eye, yeah. Watching everything that happens."
"If you look at somewhere like maybe China already, the Red Bull was like a second ahead.
"And it's been quite incredible to see the McLaren rise and then the Ferrari in the last few races, to see their progress and just trying to keep an eye on everyone's car and what they're changing and what they're adding.
"You know, we all watch the video, all the drivers, we all watch the onboard laps and we're always trying to see where we can gain time.
"And there's some cars that just react differently and better or worse in certain areas.
"And you're trying to figure out how you can find that within either your balance or get the team to develop the car in that direction."
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