Mercedes parked contract talks

MERCEDES has offered an explanation for the delay in signing a new contract with Lewis Hamilton, saying both parties had wanted to focus on improving the Formula One team’s car.

The four-time world champion and Mercedes have been talking since last year about a lucrative new deal, with regular assurances it is on the point of being signed.

Despite talk of having something done before the start of the season in March, five races have gone by and there is still no announcement, with the Briton out of contract at the end of the season.

“Obviously, we don’t want to lose him and I don’t think he wants to go anywhere else. Everything’s going fine,” team boss Toto Wolff said.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be racing with each other for a few more years. We had other priorities in the last few weeks. We weren’t happy with our car’s performance and we needed to sort it out. And finalising a contract is something you need to involve yourself in and spend time and we both decided that we’d park it for a minute where we were. But it’s almost sorted.”

Hamilton started the season with pole position in Melbourne but Ferrari won the first two races.

Daniel Ricciardo put Red Bull on top of the podium in China, dealing Mercedes its third straight defeat for the first time in the V6 turbo hybrid era that started in 2014.

Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona was something of a reset, with Hamilton taking his second consecutive win.