McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh reveals Lewis Hamilton deal to be sorted soon – Formula 1
McLaren team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has said that Lewis Hamilton contract talks are progressing and the final decision will be taken shortly.
Hamilton’s contract has been in the public eye a lot since the signing of the Brit has become complicated. It is reported that Hamilton is going to have to take a pay cut for the new contract because of the financial woes the team is facing. While Hamilton
seems to have adjusted to the pay cut but has some other things in his mind that he would like to include in the contract.
Hamilton has asked for keeping his trophies with him, McLaren keeps all the trophies won by the drivers at the team’s headquarters. Hamilton said that keeping the trophies means a lot to him and he will fight for it in the contract.
The Brit’s current contract expires at the end of the season and while Hamilton is a high profile driver it seems that he does not have a lot of options available to him because of his high profile stature teams will overlook him even if he is available
due to the high cost of keeping him. The major teams have already decided upon their driver line-up for 2013.
Ferrari is one team looking to replace Felipe Massa but the Red Scarlet team goes with the strategy of one main driver and the second supporting driver and with Fernando Alonso confirmed as their number one driver of choice Hamilton will never be happy with
a supporting role.
“I think it will be resolved in fairly short order,” Whitmarsh told the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in, “but I think Lewis and the team have focused on a little bit of relaxation after the first half of the season while keeping our foot on the throttle
to make sure we keep developing the car. Winning is what is really important.”
“We're focused on those things and we're progressing things in the background, but we're not letting them get in the way of trying to do our job. I think we'll know in due course and when we've got something to say together we will obviously make that statement,”
he said.
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