Lewis Hamilton Says New Mercedes Contract 'Closer Than Ever'

Questions regarding Lewis Hamilton’s new contract with Mercedes has now become customary at the start of every Grand Prix weekend owing to the time it is taking for the team to make the announcement.

The four-time F1 Drivers’ championship winner and the Silver Arrows team have been in talks since the end of last season, but are yet to reach an agreement. The two have continually stated their commitment to each other and revealed that it was agreed in principle with just a few details yet to be sorted out.

According to various reports, Hamilton is expected to sign a three-year deal until the 2021 season worth around £120m ($159m) making him the joint highest earning driver on the grid alongside Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

It was suggested earlier this week that an announcement will be made during the French Grand Prix this weekend, but Hamilton confirmed Thursday that there is no agreement yet, but revealed it is closer than it has ever been.

“When it's done I'll tell you,” Hamilton said ahead of the French Grand Prix, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “It's going to happen soon. It's a lot closer than it's ever been but it's not like there's no negotiation or anything like that, that's all done.”

Hamilton also revealed his determination to be the first one to win at the Circuit Paul Ricard in this generation as Formula 1 has returned to this venue for the first time since 1990.

The British driver also spoke about the team’s disappointment after a poor weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix, where they were convincingly beaten by Ferrari. Valtteri Bottas salvaged some pride with a drive to second place, but Hamilton had to settle for fifth place after struggling to perform throughout the weekend.

The Mercedes driver made it clear that everyone in the team is now determined to put in a positive performance in France and get back to winning ways. Hamilton’s once 17-point lead over Vettel in the championship was wiped out over two races, with the Briton now trailing the Ferrari driver by one point.

“I've been racing forever so everything becomes the norm. I'm excited about getting in the car to feel a new circuit and a new race that I haven't done before,” the Mercedes driver said. “I feel very positive. It's back on the calendar and I want to be the first one to win it."

“Every single person has been critical of themselves including me. We come here determined to do a better job. We all can do better to squeeze more juice out of ourselves and the car,” he added. “Montreal was a very average weekend performance-wise and we've got to make sure we're in top, top shape moving forward."

"There were some good meetings afterwards where people were openly critical of themselves. There's things I know I can do better which I'm planning to do,” he said.