Wolff takes firm stance on Hamilton’s future amid Ferrari rumours

Hamilton’s Mercedes future remains unclear with his contract expiring at the end of the current season and an extension yet to be signed off. 

• Will Mercedes’ delayed upgrades sway Hamilton’s F1 future?

Both parties have repeatedly insisted they consider a new deal to be a formality but that hasn’t stopped the F1 rumour mill going into overdrive. 

Ferrari are readying a sensational £40m offer to try and lure the seven-time world champion from Mercedes, according to the Daily Mail. 

Speculation linking Hamilton to Ferrari is nothing new, something that Wolff was quick to point out in a recent interview with Austrian outlet Osterreich. 

"These rumours come up every two years when we have to sign a new contract," Wolff said. "But none of this is true. We discuss normally, without any time pressure.”

Wolff went on to admit that he feels “uncomfortable” discussing contract terms with Hamilton. 

"It's just uncomfortable that two friends, two blood brothers who have been through thick and thin for ten years, suddenly have to discuss money," he explained. 

"I'm firmly convinced that we'll find each other, there's not a millimetre of doubt for me. I can't imagine anything else. If we give Lewis a competitive car, he will win for a long time. Look at Tom Brady and what he was still capable of in his 40s.”

While Hamilton has admitted the thought of ending his career at Ferrari has crossed his mind, he stressed that he regards Mercedes as his “home”. 

"I'd be lying if I said I'd never thought about ending my career anywhere else," Hamilton told ESPN at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

"I started at McLaren, I'd like to think I'll always be a part of the McLaren family, I started there when I was 13 years old, so I thought about what it would look like if I was at McLaren one day.

"I thought about and watched the Ferrari drivers on the screens at the track and of course you wonder what it would be like to be in red... But then I go to my team, to Mercedes, and this is my home. I'm happy where I am. I haven't signed a contract yet, but we are working on one."