SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 16, 2023--

Lewis Hamilton insists his team are “almost there” as they look to agree a new contract with Mercedes – and denied reports that Ferrari have approached him. The 38-year-old’s current contract with the Silver Arrows, where he has been since 2013, expires at the end of this season. A report this week suggested Ferrari have offered the seven-time F1 world champion – who has won six of his titles with Mercedes – a £40m-a-year contract to join the Scuderia from 2024. Yet Hamilton, who covets a record-breaking eighth crown after missing out controversially in Abu Dhabi in 2021, revealed that his representatives are close to concluding negotiations with Mercedes over an extension. “Naturally, in contract [talks] there’s always going to be speculation,” he said, in his pre-race press conference in Monaco. “Unless you hear from me that’s all it is.” When asked if Ferrari had been in touch, Hamilton simply replied: “No. "Last weekend maybe with the race cancelled they [the media] got bored.” Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur also emphasised that his team have not been in contact with Hamilton. “You know perfectly that at this stage of the season, you will have each week a different story,” he said in Monaco. “And we are not sending an offer to Lewis Hamilton. We didn’t do it.” “We didn’t have discussions. I think every single team on the grid would like to have Hamilton at one stage. I think it would be bull**** to not say something like this. “If I discuss with Hamilton, I discuss the last 20 years, I discussed almost every single weekend with Hamilton. I don’t want to have to stop to discuss with them because you are chasing me.” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has been adamant in the past few months that despite the delay, Hamilton will extend his deal with the team. “It’s 11 years that we’ve been together,” Wolff said. “Every single time when we talk about Lewis’s contract, it takes months of, ‘Where we are? What is happening?’ And we keep saying the same thing: that it is rolling on. “There’s not any difficult contract negotiations, it’s just putting different numbers in there and that’s what we’re doing and we’re working on this. “It’s a work in progress, bouncing emails back and forth and eventually we’re going to sign it.” Read More Ferrari boss gives Lewis Hamilton update after reports of shock move F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Why is practice no longer on a Thursday? Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the biggest losers from Imola Grand Prix cancellation Lewis Hamilton will stay with Mercedes as nowhere else to go – Guenther Steiner

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Johnny Hebert believes Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull could be ‘under threat’ after a couple of poor performances – and has backed Lando Norris to replace him. After winning two of the opening four races, in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, Perez has struggled in comparison to runaway team-mate Max Verstappen. In Miami, he failed to hold on to first place with Verstappen hauling him in, while the Mexican had weekends to forget in Monaco and Spain where he finished 16th and fourth respectively. It means Perez now trails Verstappen by 59 points in the championship. “In real terms, I would say he is under threat,” ex-F1 driver and former Sky Sports pundit Herbert said, in an interview with OLBG. “As much as Sergio showed in the early part of the season that he was more than capable of mixing it with Max, there was then a point that he wasn’t. “But he is a very good number two. When he is on his game he can win. Even then he would be second of third and that will still enable Red Bull to win the constructors’ championship which is obviously very important.” Herbert then singled out four drivers capable of being a bigger challenge to Verstappen, singling out Norris in particular. “If you want more competitiveness to Verstappen, you either need Russell or Hamilton or Charles Leclerc – or maybe Lando Norris. “Lando Norris has a long-term contract with McLaren and I don’t know if he has a performance clause in it to move from McLaren. “I think it would be a good move for Red Bull. It would add positivity to the team and I think he is more than capable of being able to deal with that position.” Verstappen is going for his fourth win in a row at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend while Perez is looking to cut the deficit to the irrepressible Dutchman. Read More Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans Mercedes chief predicts performance level at Canadian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton contract update provided by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff F1 2023 calendar: Every race this season Max Verstappen maintains dominance but Mercedes show their teeth at Spanish GP F1 LIVE RESULT: Race standings and latest updates at Spanish GP

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