Lewis Hamilton says he is “not trying to move” away from his Mercedes team in this year’s driver market.
The world champion is one of a number of top drivers whose contracts expire at the end of a 2020 season thrown into disarray by the coronavirus.
Hamilton said on Instagram: “There is no dream of another team. I am with my dream team.
“There’s not a thing in my way, as I’m not trying to move. I’m with the people who have cared from day one.”
Hamilton added that Mercedes are “the best team”.
He was responding to a report that his hopes of a move to Ferrari had been hampered by signs that Sebastian Vettel was moving towards a new contract with the Italian team.
Vettel, like Hamilton, is out of contract at the end of the season, while the German’s team-mate Charles Leclerc has a contract until the end of 2024.
In an online news conference last week, Vettel said he had made it clear he wanted to stay at Ferrari beyond the end of this season and added: “Whatever the deal will be like, it is whatever I and the team will be comfortable with. In terms of duration, normally the contracts I had in the past were all a three-year deal.”
The only other top driver who is committed to his current team beyond the end of 2020 is Max Verstappen, who has a deal with Red Bull until 2023.
Like Vettel, Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo are free to move.
McLaren have said they see their future with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. The Spaniard is expected to sign a new deal and Norris is under option to McLaren for the next few years.
The 2020 season remains in doubt as a result of the first nine races being postponed or cancelled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
However, F1 bosses are hopeful they can start the season in the summer, with some races behind closed doors in Europe, before completing the season further afield.
F1 is emphasising that the original calendar has effectively been consigned to the bin and they are having to start a new schedule from scratch.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
Source link
