I don’t have a timeline: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has been the most talked-about driver in recent times. He has won the last two Grand Prix, posing a serious challenge for his second drivers’ championship.

Off the track, his future at McLaren is fiercely debated, with Mercedes tipped to be his new abode. Hamilton, however, denied reports of him already signing up with the Germany-based outfit.

“I don’t have a timeline (to sign new contract). My focus is on trying to win this world championship. I do have people in the background doing contract negotiations. There’s a lot of speculation and stories that aren’t true,” said Hamilton, who was in the city for the Vodafone Speedfest, on Sunday. The 2008 champion is currently 37 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso.

Although Hamilton doesn’t want to comment on his future, there are reports of backdoor activities in the McLaren camp. According to a certain section of the British media, McLaren have contacted Sauber’s Sergio Perez as a possible replacement. It could be an indication that the team is becoming impatient with the negotiation strategy of Hamilton’s management, XIX Entertainment.

Hamilton is not too concerned about the reports. “I think we’re all wise enough to understand that people write things, not necessarily true. What matters is that I’m 100 per cent focused on winning with this team and taking them forward. I’ve been with them since I was 13. We’ve worked hard since 2009 to try and win this championship and hopefully, finally, we’re in the position where we can,” he said.

On the racing front, Hamilton has been somewhat unlucky. He could have easily been leading the championship had the results gone his way since the start of the season. Despite showing great speed, his first win came only at the Canadian Grand Prix, the seventh race of the season. Since then, he has improved a great deal and is the only driver, along with Fernando Alonso, to have won three races this season.

“We lost plenty of points in the beginning. We were on the front row in the first seven or eight races. We should have won all of them. We really could have won in Barcelona; we had the best car that weekend. We learn from those experiences and that’s what life is about,” he said.

The 27-year-old feels McLaren will end the season on a high. “We’re in a very, very strong position, we’re getting stronger and we will get stronger through the rest of this year.”

Hamilton believes for the first time since 2009 all teams are on an equal footing, following changes in the regulations made by the world governing body (FIA).

“The FIA has been making changes since 2009 to make the races closer. This is the best year for all the teams,” he said.