Lewis Hamilton refuses to be rushed into new deal ahead of Liberty Media summit

Hamilton: 'Things are still under discussion and nothing is expected to come out this weekend'

Lewis Hamilton said there is no rush to sort a new contract with Mercedes (Getty)

Ross Brawn walked around Formula 1’s best paddock here in Bahrain wearing a haunted expression ahead of tomorrow’s revelation to teams and media regarding Liberty Media’s plans for the sport’s future. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton metaphorically laid back and agreed that he was quite happy that his own relaxed approach to finalising a new contract with Mercedes enabled him to watch and await the things that could influence his future.

“Things are still under discussion and nothing is expected to come out this weekend,” he confirmed. “There isn’t really any rush, and we [he and team boss Toto Wolff] talk as and when. It’s not a stressful thing for either of us.

“This next contract will be the most important of my career, just as the last one was. It will be about what length of time I will commit to F1, and obviously I’m at the latter end of my career in it. So I want all the information I can get, in order to make the most knowledgeable decision.”

Asked what changes he might like to see, he responded: “Personally I’d like a return of the stickshift [manual gear-change], but others doubtless have different ideas. The current cars with more downforce are a challenge for the drivers and I love them, so I’d like that to continue, but it’s difficult for others to understand how difficult they are for us to drive. Like it’s difficult to understand what it’s like to fly a fighter jet. You just know that that is cool.

“I’m just one person in a big team of people, and of course I’d like it if the percentage that the driver can contribute were to be increased. But none of us drivers has the answers, not a single one. We’re not engineers. We have ideas, just like I’m sure you do and Liberty do. So who knows what will work? But our own input will have very little impact on the future of F1.

“This is an interesting time, with the announcement that is coming tomorrow. The cool thing is that they are looking to make it more of a spectacle, and hopefully they will move in the right direction. So it’s good to wait and see what the future might be and what could have an impact on our discussions.”

Lewis Hamilton is not giving much away with regards to ongoing contract talks (Getty)

Hamilton might have to wait a bit longer for that, however. Much is expected of Brawn tomorrow. Some expect him to outline the revised proposal for power units from 2021 onwards, and the aerodynamic approach that will be introduced to combat the dreaded ‘dirty air’ syndrome which so often frustrates overtaking moves by the world’s best drivers. But the reality may be less prosaic.

It’s unlikely that anything firm will emerge just yet on the aero front. Instead, insiders expect him to reveal tactical revisions to the previous proposals to create simpler power units by deleting the MGU-H, the heat energy recovery system that is seen to be an expensive and unnecessary component.

This went down so badly with both Ferrari and Mercedes that the former’s president Sergio Marchionne has threatened that Ferrari might withdraw altogether from F1. Both they and Mercedes regard such components as a key part of their technological armoury on the controversial turbo-hybrid units that were introduced in 2014, and are adamant that they enable them to justify their $400m annual investment through important research and development they conduct in the crucible of racing.

Placating both would be designed to head-off their threats of a possible breakaway championship.

Ross Brawn is set to unveil new plans for the sport (GETTY IMAGES)

But Brawn is also expected to outline the financial structure by which Liberty intend to run the sport from 2021 onwards. This is the bigger fight, since it will cover controversial topics such as a budget cap and a fairer distribution of income among the teams. At present, Ferrari receive the highest LST, the longest standing team’s payment, because they have been around since the start of the World Championship in 1950. This is believed to be worth $100m even before their new car turns a wheel each season. McLaren are next, dating back to 1966, and Mercedes to 1968 (as Tyrrell).

Proposals to cut these ‘legacy payments’ are bound to meet with vociferous opposition from the leading players and thus to stir up even more trouble than the original engine proposals, as a whole new can of worms starts wriggling. Yet this debate is seen as a crucial factor in making the sport fairer in future, and improving the show and making it more popular by giving the also-rans a better chance of competing on a more even playing field.

How hard a line Liberty adopt will be key to the future health and success of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. It will determine whether they will be able to create a better series which might ultimately lead to greater wealth for all concerned, or threaten its very existence by prolonging it as a series dominated by manufacturers who historically tend to come and go when it no longer meets their own very specific marketing aspirations.