Mercedes unwilling to pay Hamilton $66m - Marko

Lewis Hamilton may be pricing himself out of the market in Formula 1, according to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko.

Reports suggest the six-time world champion has turned down Mercedes’ offer of a new two-year deal for 2021 and 2022 amounting to as much as $50m per season.

But Hamilton is reportedly pressing for $66 million a year.

Marko, a top official at Red Bull who has just re-signed Max Verstappen through 2023, thinks the numbers being reported are probably right.

"Lewis is a six-time world champion and very important for Mercedes in both sporting and marketing terms," he told Auto Bild.

"I think he is aware of his value which is where he comes up with such numbers.

"But I believe that no team, not even Mercedes, will be willing to spend such sums on a driver. Maybe Ferrari," Marko added.