$320k a day: F1 star’s insane contract

Lewis Hamilton will earn an impressive $320,623 (AUD) every day once he puts pen to paper on a mega $116 million-a-season three-year contract with Mercedes.

Rumours the six-time world champion could be heading to Ferrari have calmed down in recent weeks but that is unlikely to affect his new Merc deal.

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Hamilton’s current $77m-a-season contract expires at the end of the 2020 campaign and talks are ongoing over the three-year extension.

The German marque is once again expected to be a serious title contender this year with Hamilton’s priority a seventh drivers’ crown.

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He admitted in December to weighing up his options before turning 35.

“I love where I am so it is definitely not a quick decision to do something else but it is only smart and wise for me to sit and think of what I want if it is the last stage of my career,” Hamilton remarked.

However, Mercedes are reportedly prepared to pay a whopping $116m annual salary as there are few drivers available who could realistically replace Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc is booked in with Ferrari until 2024 and Max Verstappen signed a new Red Bull deal to 2023 ahead of the new season.

That situation will help Hamilton’s cause in negotiating a pay deal that boils down to $9.7m-a-month and $2.23m-a-week.

The new contract is worth $221 for every minute the great Briton agrees to stick around for.

Speaking in pre-season testing, Hamilton insisted that he is in no rush to sit down and thrash out a deal with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.

“It is crazy because there is all this talk, but I have a certain approach in that I don’t stress. I trust Toto and we have that trust between us,” he said.

“We have told each other what our goals are, what our aims are and our commitments, so I don’t ever feel like there is necessarily any rush.

“But then sometimes Toto is like ‘is everything OK?’, so we keep the channel open and I am sure in the near future we will start to sit down.”

Wolff, meanwhile, believes it is only a matter of time before the final talks can take place after joking of a ten-hour marathon session to sort the previous deal.

“I said maybe we should sit down and have the chat but I think I know so well where he is going to go, and he knows where I am,” the 48-year-old Austrian told reporters.

“It is about finding a day where we spend a few hours together and that is what we have done in the past.

“We have that respect I know the contribution Lewis brings to the team as a driver and as a brand and you always need to respect that.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

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