Hamilton denies claims for deliberately delaying his new contract

Lewis Hamilton hit back at fellow British Formula One champions Damon Hill and Jenson Button for suggesting he was holding off on a new deal until he knew how competitive his Mercedes was this year.

Seven-time world champion, now 38, is out of contract at the end of the season that starts in Bahrain on Sunday but has said a new deal will be done.

This week Hill wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph newspaper that Hamilton might be “less-minded to sign a new long-term deal” if the car were miles off the pace while Button was quoted by the Independent as saying his fellow-Briton could be tempted to retire if the wins dried up.

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“It’s ultimately people creating rumors without facts.”, Hamilton said.

“It’s never helpful, and you would have thought that they would both know me by now. I have been with Mercedes since I was 13… and whether or not we have a difficult year this year, I will still be here. I am a fighter and we fight as a team.”, he added.