But bosses fear he’ll go to Ferrari
LEWIS HAMILTON’S Mercedes team are ready to splash out a staggering £250m to keep him for FIVE more years.
But his bosses fear he could move to Ferrari when his new deal expires and finally race for the most famous marque in F1.
Hamilton’s latest three-year contract, which is worth £130m, will be announced at the German outfit’s home race later this month.
If he carries on for two more seasons after that, he could pocket a further £120m from Mercedes.
The team decided not to confirm the new deal at his home grand prix at Silverstone as it did not want to add extra pressure on what is his biggest weekend of the season.
Merc boss Toto Wolff said: “Lewis is 33, but I think he has another five very good years in him. I want that to be with Mercedes. Do I expect that? I am open-minded. If in two years we feel the same about each other and have trust, I think it would be clear we continue.
“I’m sure Lewis is reflecting about how much he loves F1, but what happens one day when he doesn’t love it anymore? He is very talented in so many other areas.”
Wolff admits that Hamilton can be
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10 S Vettel (Ger, Ferrari) ............ 146 L Hamilton (GB, Mercedes)..145 K Raikkonen (Fin, Ferrari) .... 101 D Ricciardo (Aus, Red Bull) .... 96 M Verstappen (Hol, Red Bull).93 V Bottas (Fin, Mercedes) ........ 92 K Magnussen (Den, Haas) ..... 37 F Alonso (Spa, McLaren) ........ 36 N Hulkenberg (Ger, Renault) .. 34 C Sainz Jnr (Spa, Renault) ..... 28
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10 high-maintenance and showed his emotions last week in Austria with his four-letter blast after the team cocked-up his race strategy.
But Wolff insists he would have it no other way, because the four-time worldbeater produces where it matters most – on the track.
He added: “You need a lion in the car that is giving it everything. But the best ones are also sensitive.
“With the exceptional individuals, you just have to accept that they have opinions and views and strong drive.
“The super nice polite guy is not what we want.
“We want the guy that scores the tries and wins the trophies, so I embrace high-maintenance.”
Hamilton will be out to claim a record sixth Ferrari ................................... 247 Mercedes .............................. 237 Red Bull ................................ 189 Renault ................................... 62 Haas ....................................... 49 McLaren .................................. 44 Force India .............................. 42 Toro Rosso .............................. 19 Sauber ................................... 16 Williams .................................... 4 British Grand Prix winner’s trophy – and fifth in a row – at Silverstone tomorrow to overturn his one-point deficit to Sebastian Vettel.
The reigning champ set the fastest time of the day in opening practice, though Ferrari’s Vettel was fractions quicker than his rival in the second session in the afternoon on Silverstone’s brandnew tarmac.
Hamilton said: “The track is the fastest it has ever been. It’s insane how fast it is. It has to be the best track in the world, it feels like driving a fighter jet around here.
“It’s going to be very, very close this weekend, the Ferraris are really fast.
“We’re in for a serious fight, which is great for the fans, and I hope that we can pull through.”
Austrian GP winner Max Verstappen crashed out early in second practice having been forced to park his Red Bull late in the opening session.