12:41 – F1: Lewis Hamilton extends two years with Mercedes, until the end of 2020 (stable)

British driver Lewis Hamilton, a four-time Formula 1 world champion, extended his contract with Mercedes for two years until the end of the 2020 season, his three-day German GP team announced Thursday. at Hockenheim

"The pbadion of competition that burns in me is shared by all members of this group," said Hamilton, 33, winner of three world titles and 44 GP since joining in 2013 the mark to the star, from McLaren

"Mercedes has become the home of Lewis in F1 and its history is forever linked to the money and green Mercedes-AMG Petronas," said Toto Wolff , the boss of Brackley's stable.

"I am very confident that we will still be writing incredible chapters of our history in the future," badured the Austrian.

"This extension contract was essentially a formality since we sat down, Toto and me, to discuss this winter. So it's good to sign officially to announce it and continue working as usual, "said Hamilton, currently second in the eight-point world championship of the German Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari).

According to several sources, Mercedes wanted Hamilton committed for even longer, but the latter, whose low motivation to pursue his career in F1 after 2020 has been often mentioned in recent months, has refused.

The possibility of a pension can not be excluded at the end of this new contract.

In the meantime, the salary of the Briton, who holds the absolute record for the number of pole positions in F1 (76), should exceed 45 million euros per season.

Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas, whose contract ends in December, wants him to be extended for two seasons, but Mercedes seems for the moment inclined to offer him only one only supplemental year re, as last year