Back to the Auto Racing Newsfeed

Lewis Hamilton: I turned down an offer from a rival team

HOCKENHEIM, Germany -- Lewis Hamilton has revealed that a team other than Mercedes approached him about a 2019 contract, but he insists he did not take the offer seriously.

Mercedes announced Hamilton's new two-year contract on Thursday that will see the four-time world champion stay at the team until the end of 2020. While the deal was never really in doubt, negotiations over details dragged over several months after the basic contract was finalised earlier this year.

Ferrari and Red Bull were the only other viable options for Hamilton given the gulf in performance between the top three and the midfield, and he revealed that one team attempted to open negotiations with him.