Lewis Hamilton says he’s ready to sit down and negotiate a new contract with the Mercedes team after months of delays.
The Briton and two-time champion is currently on an annual salary of £20 million ($31m), but is looking to increase that should he sign a new deal with the German outfit.
“I am 30 now. I am my own man. I know my worth,” he told BBC Sport.
Hamilton will negotiate his own contract and described himself as a ‘rookie’ when it comes to such deals – having previously had managers do it for him – but he says he knows the basics and is ready for talks.
“I have read every one of my contracts in the past so I know what is and what can’t go and what I can try to get,” he added.
“It is going to be hard. Toto is a big businessman and is great at negotiating and he is up against a rookie, but I have good grounds for it.
“I can’t say I am particularly excited about it, but I like that I am doing them on my own. No-one’s helping. But of course I can reach out to people for advice.”
“We are planning to have talks relatively soon,” he concluded.
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