Lewis Hamilton’s father-manager has denied that he is pushing McLaren for a huge pay-rise near the end of his son’s sensational rookie season in F1.
The pair has now arrived in Shanghai, where 22-year-old Hamilton could with a win become the first ever rookie – and youngest driver of all time – to wrap up a drivers’ championship title.
But amid rumours of a new five-year, $110m agreement, Anthony Hamilton denies that the pressure is now on Ron Dennis to ramp up the current $1m a year deal.
“We’ve got the same contract that we signed when we signed up for this job,” he is quoted as saying by the Mirror.
Hamilton Snr, however, suggests that his son will ultimately deserve more as time goes on — particularly as a record-beating world champion who will have roused the interest of every team boss in the paddock.
“Of course everything changes after a while,” Anthony Hamilton confirmed. “But we won’t be asking for anything.
“We will be waiting, as normal, to be given things. It’s much better to be given than to have to ask for them.
“But I’ll make sure we won’t have to wait long.”
