What Hamilton wants from new Mercedes deal

Lewis Hamilton is looking for continued flexibility at Mercedes to complement his quest for more World Championship titles.

Hamilton’s current deal with the Silver Arrows expires at the end of 2020 and, now that the Ferrari rumours have seemingly subsided, is expected to commit his long-term future to the team.

Nothing has been announced yet, however, and Hamilton has given an insight into what matters most to him when it comes to making him sign on the dotted line this time around.

Hamilton enjoys a lot of flexibility and freedom with Mercedes to work with other partners away from Formula 1. He wants that freedom to continue in the years to come.

“When I joined the team, I opened up doors to be able to do things like [my] partnership with Tommy [Hilfiger],” Hamilton told Sky Sports.

“If we hadn’t had this earlier discussion, Tommy wouldn’t be a part of our team, I wouldn’t be able to do the great things that I’m doing.

“So just small bits we have to tweak here and there which enable those things, which then don’t take away from the primary goal, which is to win world titles.

“Every year your life is moving and shifting and your plan for your next five years is always different.

“Obviously I’m going into potentially my last period of time in my sport and of course you want to maximise financially but it’s more about results.

“It’s about the journey and the destination and the other things that you’re doing also that complement that.”

Hamilton is also attracted by the prospect of representing the Mercedes brand long into the future as they work on wider projects.

He added: “What Mercedes have done for all their drivers, even Sir Stirling Moss was still a part of the team, they honour that and you become a part of a legacy and a life-long partner, which I think is super appealing.

“A lot of the plans Mercedes have moving forward, something like sustainability, is important to me and the impact we are having on our footprint.

“We are working on being a carbon neutral team by 2039 and be the pioneering leaders in F1. I want to be a part of that and we have to be aligned on that.”

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