Lewis Hamilton’s contract has been the hottest talk of the town, only second after where Daniel Ricciardo might be going. The British driver is at the end of his current contract which paid him 100 million dollars for 3 years starting 2015. While it is certain he is headed to stay with Mercedes only, the delays are primarily due to his salary.

While Mercedes have always been pretty calm about the scenario, they’d be very eager to get the contract sorted at the earliest possible. The French Grand Prix was also attended by Mercedes chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche  indicating that a decision might be on the horizon.

“We don’t want to drag it out much longer,” Toto Wolff said after the French Grand Prix.

“I expect it to be done very, very soon

“Maybe it is about choosing the right moment.” he added.

If the latest reports are to believed, Lewis Hamilton’s latest contract will include a 40 million pound salary per year, for a minimum period of two years. This will make him the richest sportsperson in the United Kingdom and could be announced as early as a couple of weeks later in Silverstone, in Hamilton’s home race.

Mercedes are expected to retain their current drivers for the next season as well. Valtteri Bottas, despite not having been able to take a victory in the first eight rounds, has showcased good speed. If not for his bad luck, he would have had a couple of victories at least. 2019 will be the the third year the two will be paired together and have shown a good partnership together.

With the Mercedes’ updated engine, dubbed as spec 2.1, Lewis Hamilton took the lead in the championship in the French Grand Prix, which marks the starting of F1’s triple header. The rest two races: the Austrian Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix have been good for Mercedes and the duo of Bottas and Hamilton will look to capitalise on the momentum gained during the French Grand Prix as well as the updated engine.