While Hamilton insists he feels “in a positive place” with McLaren,
the fact he has allowed his contract to run into its final year will
inevitably mean speculation, particularly if McLaren have a difficult winter
testing as they did this year.
The Briton set tongues wagging in midseason with an impromptu visit to Red
Bull’s motorhome in Montreal, a rare occurrence at the best of times but in
the midst of a personal crisis almost certainly a pointed message to
McLaren.
A tie-up with Red Bull’s two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in 2013
would certainly electrify the sport, as would a reunification with former
McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.
Asked specifically about his contract, Hamilton, who has been on McLaren’s
books since the age of 13, insisted: “I am in no rush. I don’t think there
is any real pressure about my commitment to the team so there is no rush to
have to do anything. Just focus on the next stage.
“Martin [Whitmarsh, McLaren’s team principal] has spoken to me about
re-signing already. I know it is there. At some stage, when we have time, we
will sit down and discuss it. Again, the most important thing is to focus on
the season ahead.
“I feel positive about it. I feel fortunate to be in the position I am in. I
still feel very, very fortunate about the opportunities I have ahead of me
and I feel fortunate I have still got a year left on my contract.
“I have got a winter to recover and a year to recover. Have a positive year. I
will look back on this year and, of course, it wasn’t the year that was
wanted but it was a year that was needed, that every athlete goes through. I
just hope this is the end of it.
“I am looking forward to going into the winter, to take my time to recover and
channel all my energy into next year.
“What is most important about next year is me getting back to where I should
be, getting back to the good performances and getting back to winning.
Getting back to enjoying life and enjoying the year.
“It is getting better and I just want to continue on this path because I think
it can be good.”