McLaren are ever closer to confirming a new contract with Lewis Hamilton, team Managing Director Jonathan Neale claims. The 2008 Champion, currently in his sixth season, is poised to commit his long-term future to the Woking outfit.
After an impressive debut F1 campaign in which he missed out on the title by a single point in 2007, Hamilton agreed a five-year deal which takes him up to the end of 2012. Any rumours of a departure were all but confirmed as untrue when Mark Webber signed another one-year contract with Red Bull earlier this year. Hamilton has already said that he is thinking about longstanding goals, suggesting at least a three-year agreement.
“We are closer and of course we are in dialogue,” Neale told Sky Sports. “For obvious reasons I can't speculate more at the moment. We are working very hard to find a common ground.”
When asked to confirm that a new deal is what both parties are looking for, Neale replied:
“Very much so…he is a fighter, he loves a challenge. He just needs a sniff of it and to feel that the team is behind him and pushing.”
Whether or not a deal is made public in the near future, a contract is likely to be signed across the summer break. Part of the delay is down to Hamilton wanting to retain trophies; McLaren tradition has always dictated that the team keeps original copies.
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