Monaco Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes close to agreeing a new contract

Lewis Hamilton said determination had been nary interaction with rival Formula 1 squad Ferrari astir the seven-time satellite champion joining them

Lewis Hamilton says helium has not been successful talks with Ferrari and helium and Mercedes are adjacent to agreeing a caller declaration to support him astatine the squad beyond this season.

He said helium had a squad moving with Mercedes squad main Toto Wolff connected the caller contract.

This week, determination person been reports that Ferrari had contacted Hamilton astir him switching to the Italian team.

Hamilton said Mercedes' struggles to beryllium competitory since 2022 "don't person a bearing" connected him wanting to stay.

He added: "This is the archetypal clip I person not been negotiating myself and I person a large squad successful the inheritance doing each the enactment and I tin absorption connected the job. I accidental what I privation and that's what we're moving towards."

But some the seven-time champion and the Italian squad denied that was the lawsuit arsenic F1 gathered successful Monaco for this weekend's expansive prix.

"Naturally, erstwhile you are successful declaration negations, determination is ever going to beryllium speculation and unless you perceive it from me, that's what it is," Hamilton said.

"Maybe with the contention (in Imola past weekend) being cancelled, they conscionable got bored.

"My squad is moving intimately down the scenes with Toto and we are astir astatine the constituent of having a declaration ready. It is overmuch much relaxing present due to the fact that earlier I was doing it myself."

Asked straight whether Ferrari had been successful touch, Hamilton said: "No."

Ferrari squad main Frederic Vasseur said: "You cognize perfectly that astatine this signifier of the play each week you volition person a antithetic communicative and we are not sending an connection to Lewis Hamilton. We didn't bash it.

"We didn't person discussions. I deliberation each azygous squad connected the grid would similar to person Hamilton astatine 1 signifier - it would beryllium rubbish to not accidental thing similar this."

Vasseur said it was excessively aboriginal for Ferrari to commencement negotiating with their drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz implicit their futures. Both are contracted until the extremity of 2024.

"The astir important (thing) for america is to enactment focused connected the improvement successful the existent season," Vasseur said.

"In a mates of months, we'll person the slot to sermon astir the future.

"We agreed that we'll sermon astir the contracts aboriginal connected and I don't privation to alteration due to the fact that we had rumours from idiosyncratic that Lewis could travel oregon Charles could spell oregon Carlos could go. We are dealing with our jobs internally and I volition enactment focused connected the plan."

• How to travel the Monaco Grand Prix connected the BBC
• Mercedes upgrade volition not beryllium a 'silver bullet' - Wolff

Drivers connected Mercedes upgrade

Hamilton said helium was looking guardant to trying the upgraded car Mercedes person brought to Monaco, which is the archetypal measurement successful a improvement program kicked disconnected erstwhile Wolff admitted astatine the archetypal contention of the play that the squad had made a mistake successful pursuing their unsocial car concept.

The Mercedes plan revised sidepods, level and beforehand suspension, and it is successful a akin vein to that pioneered by Red Bull erstwhile F1's caller rules were introduced successful 2022.

Aspects of the plan besides carnivore similarities to the Aston Martin, which has been the astonishment of the play successful 2023.

"It volition beryllium absorbing to spot however it works," Hamilton said. "I don't deliberation we volition beryllium warring for a triumph but hopefully we volition beryllium much successful the fight.

We are inactive a championship-winning squad but we person had the incorrect car and immoderate decisions that person been made are not ideal."

Team-mate George Russell said Mercedes would not gully immoderate conclusions astir the show of the upgrade this play due to the fact that of the uniqueness of the choky and twisty Monaco circuit.

Russell said: "We are alert this is simply a precise one-of-a-kind circuit and we are not going to work thing into the show that the caller updates amusement this weekend.

"There are ever outliers successful teams who implicit execute astir tracks similar Monaco and teams that underperform. But yet we don't plan a car to beryllium astatine its highest successful Monaco.

"I spot successful the squad and I don't deliberation determination volition beryllium thing scary with the upgrade that throws america off-piste.

"We volition dainty it arsenic a one-of-a-kind and past re-evaluate successful Barcelona (the pursuing weekend).

"I americium gladsome we are proceeding with it due to the fact that you ever privation to enactment arsenic overmuch show connected the car arsenic imaginable and it would person been a demoralising play for each of america had we known we had a spot of show connected the table."

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