Lewis Hamilton admits it is “frustrating” to face the prospect of dealing with yet more contract negotiations in 2020.
Almost every seat is up for grabs next season with only Charles Leclerc of the top six drivers currently signed to a deal for 2021 at Ferrari.
But after Valtteri Bottas claims the mid-season uncertainty impacted his performance this season, Hamilton acknowledged deciding his future is an unwanted distraction.
“It’s almost like I just did this contract, and I’ve already got to start potentially talking about the next one, which is frustrating because it’s another stressful moment,” he said via Formula1.com.
“You get into the room, get into the ring and have a friendly, yet intense, conversation about terms and all this kind of thing. I’m used to it now.”
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Set to turn 35 in January, it does feel this upcoming contract could be one of if not the last Hamilton signs to continue in F1 and though this will be his fifth deal at Mercedes, he admits it can still be difficult.
“I like to think I’m a relatively good negotiator, but it’s a confrontation, isn’t it? You’re always wanting to try and figure out… you’re both wanting to see what more you can get out of it, how you can do things better,” he explained.
“It won’t be really stressful to be honest, but it’s daunting when you think of it coming up because also you’re committing to a period of time in your life. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that far ahead. But of course, it’s nice to be wanted and hopefully, soon we’ll get it sorted.”
One debate that continues to swirl, however, is whether Hamilton will one day want to swap the silver of Mercedes for Ferrari red.
While he has insisted his loyalty is to the German brand, the Briton does admit the potential exit of team boss Toto Wolff could be a factor, with the Austrian also out of contract after 2020.
“He is, and has been, close to perfect,” Lewis stated. “It’s been the perfect match so naturally I don’t want him to leave, particularly if I’m staying in the sport.
“But ultimately that is going to be his choice.
“If you look at some places that have been built, it will continue for a period of time and then a new person that comes in will most likely do things their own way.
“But again, at this team, it is not one person. It is a huge group of people, and they are not going to be leaving in general.
“So they can continue to do the job they do. That is important to me, so I am waiting to sort of see where he is, where his head is at.”