Lew to coin in £40m a year

LEWIS HAMILTON is hopeful of signing a new deal at Mercedes that could earn him up to £40million a year.

The world champion will begin the defence of his crown in Melbourne on March 25 and is the favourite to claim a fifth title.

Hamilton made his first public appearance of the year at Silverstone yesterday, with team-mate Valterri Bottas and team executive director Toto Wolff (all above), as they unveiled their new car. The 33-year-old Briton (inset) is entering the final term of his three-year contract with the sport’s all-conquering team. He expects a lucrative new deal – which will take him up to the end of 2020 – to be agreed within the next month.

“We’ve been talking for a while but I don’t like to do it over the phone and I wasn’t back here until February,” Hamilton said. “I have spoken with Toto Wolff, and we spoke about how we are committed to each other.

“I know there’s no one else better and Toto knows there’s no one else better than me. It’s just the details.”