Lewis Hamilton 'uncomfortable' signing new big-money deal in light of rising job losses

Lewis Hamilton

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Hamilton 'uncomfortable' signing new big-money deal in light of rising job losses

Six-time F1 champion feels now is not the right time to start talks

Ian Parkes

Thursday 6 August 2020 20:30

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he does not feel comfortable negotiating a new multi-million-pound contract with Mercedes in light of the job losses being experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On a day when Mercedes confirmed a new one-year extension for Valtteri Bottas for 2021, Hamilton has instead put his talks on hold until a more appropriate time in the season.

"Honestly, it just doesn’t feel like the right time to sit...when you think about so many people in the world that have lost their jobs, people that are unemployed, to then sit and negotiate a big contract, it just doesn’t seem like the most important thing that I need to apply time to right this second," said Hamilton.

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The six-time F1 champion is confident of eventually putting pen to paper, adding: “The fact is I do want to continue with the team, and it’s not a big effort for us to sit down and get it done. It’s just right now I don’t feel comfortable with it and so I’m going to wait a little bit longer."

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is understood to be eager for Hamilton to commit to a three-year deal.

In light of the forward-thinking of Mercedes and its support of Hamilton with regard to Black Lives Matter and diversity so far this year, Hamilton knows he could not be with a better team.

“I’m not talking to anybody else and I’m looking forward to continuing on," stated Hamilton, "particularly as we’ve just started a new chapter as a team in terms of how we educate ourselves, how we understand what we’re going to do to help be more diverse moving forward and more inclusive.

“I’m super-excited with what’s possible to do with Mercedes-Benz and this team moving forwards and so at some stage, it will get done. I’m not stressed.”

For now, Hamilton is naturally happy Bottas is to remain on board with Mercedes for another season.

"Consistency is a good thing for a team, and Valtteri has had a positive influence over these few years," said Hamilton.

"He's trustworthy, does an incredible job on the track, and is a team-mate to all the people within the team, so I think it [the new deal] is a tribute to all the hard work he has done."

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