Lewis Hamilton says behind-the-scenes talks have already begun ahead of the 2021 driver market, which the Formula 1 world champion believes could be a chaotic period.

F1's four highest earners – Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo – are all on contracts that expire at the end of next year, with all having spoken of a desire to wait for F1's new regulations before deciding their future.

The new rulebook has now been published, with the next decision in teams' hands over whether they will sign up to the new era of F1.

And Hamilton believes the new ruleset could well come with a major shake-up of the grid too.

"In this next year we must see drivers switching, there is a lot going on, that is happening in the background, each driver talking to certain teams," Hamilton said.

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Whether he remains with Mercedes, or is also swept up on the merry-go-round, Hamilton says he remains committed to F1 and is looking forward to taking on Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in years to come as the younger drivers come to the fore.

"I think both have really fair, aggressive driving styles, which is great," Hamilton said. "In terms of who is going to win, well hopefully I'm still here to try to stop them.

Regarding Liberty Media's new regulations, Hamilton remains positive.

"If it does what they said on paper, I think we are going to see, perhaps, the best era of racing we've seen in a long time. And I want to be there."