Hamilton hits back at Mercedes F1 contract speculation

Lewis Hamilton has responded to speculation about a stall in talks for a new Formula 1 contract with Mercedes by saying he is yet to open discussions with team boss Toto Wolff.

Six-time world champion Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the 2020 season, and has been linked with a sensational switch to Ferrari should he decide to end his long-running partnership with Mercedes.

Hamilton said back in November he was ready to “get into the ring” to work out a new deal with Mercedes, having penned three-year extensions in both 2014 and 2017.

But recent reports in the Italian press suggested there had been a stall in talks with Mercedes due to his salary demands, allegedly as high as £46 million per year.

Hamilton has now shut down this speculation, taking to his Instagram account to post a story on Wednesday night addressing the rumours.

“FYI Toto and I have not even spoken about [the] contract yet,” wrote Hamilton.

“Nothing is being negotiated currently, papers making up stories.”

Lewis Hamilton responds to recent reports about contract demands... #F1 pic.twitter.com/0FtPgzxLb2

— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) January 29, 2020

Hamilton’s response also follows a report that Mercedes is lining up a meeting to decide on the future of its works F1 team next month.

According to a joint report by RaceFans.net and Autocar, the Daimler board will consider whether or not to continue with a factory Mercedes effort in F1 beyond the end of this year in a meeting next month.

However, Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius dismissed the suggestion Mercedes was set to exit F1, saying it was “not true” per Reuters.