Lewis Hamilton F1 contract talks with Mercedes 'going well' with 2022 team-mate not discussed

F1's world champion driver and team making positive progress on a new contract for beyond 2021; Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton never states a preference for a team-mate during talks

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says there are "no stumbling blocks" in talks with Lewis Hamilton over a new contract for the seven-time world champion beyond this season.

Hamilton revealed on Thursday in Austria that he had started discussions to extend his nine-season stay at F1's world champions, describing early talks with Wolff as "light-hearted".

The Mercedes team principal sounded similarly relaxed about the situation when speaking a day later.

"Pretty laid back because it's going well. We are discussing," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.

"There are no stumbling blocks. An agreement is something that takes a few days longer. So good talks."

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While Hamilton appears certain to stay on into 2022 and the first year of F1's new technical era of car rules, Mercedes will have a choice to make about who partners him between Valtteri Bottas, the long-time incumbent, and protege George Russell.

Hamilton has given public backing to Bottas in the past and, on Thursday, described the Finn as a "fantastic team-mate" before adding: "I don't necessarily see that it needs to change."

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But Wolff said that it is not in Hamilton's nature during talks with the team to speak about who he thinks should be his team-mate.

"We have never discussed preferences or not about line-ups," said the Mercedes boss.

"That is never something that is part of his thinking."

Image: George Russell and Valtteri Bottas, team-mates for one race in Hamilton's absence last year, are the two contenders for the second Mercedes 2022 seat

Meanwhile, asked if having an all-British line-up of Hamilton and Russell would present any marketing problems, Wolff said: "Nationality has never played a role.

"We are an international company, we are global, and you want to choose the best drivers."

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