Last week, it was reported that the Mercedes F1 Team and Sir Lewis Hamilton had finally agreed terms for a contract extension.
Specifically, it was claimed that they had agreed a one-year deal with an option for another year, and Hamilton would be paid approximately £35 million per annum.
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Additionally, the seven-time World Champion’s new contact reportedly included a so-called “Verstappen clause” to give him more influence over who Mercedes run as his team-mate.
However, the Italian edition of Motorsport.com has since described this as “pure invention.”
The publication insists that Hamilton has “no power at Mercedes to demand a comfortable team-mate”, and the so-called Verstappen clause “does not exist”.
It noted that the Brit’s team-mate has already been decided, so this “Verstappen clause” would serve no purpose.
“His name is George Russell and not Max Verstappen,” the publication said of Hamilton’s next Mercedes team-mate.
Earlier, Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel claimed that Mercedes is “still very interested” in Verstappen and would potentially try to sign the Dutch ace should they fail to reach an agreement with Sir Lewis Hamilton.
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