Wolff says Hamilton contract deadline ’before Bahrain’

Toto Wolff has set an eleventh-hour deadline for the conclusion of contract negotiations with Lewis Hamilton.

Dr Helmut Marko is regarding the obviously troubled negotiations as a potential boost for Red Bull, telling RTL that he hopes the "unrest works in our favour".

"The lawyers are hard at work," Mercedes boss Wolff told ORF’s Sport am Sonntag program.

He was speaking from Kitzbuhel, where he spent the last ten days in quarantine after testing positive for covid-19.

"No symptoms, thankfully," said the Austrian. "We’re out of quarantine now."

As for the Hamilton talks, Wolff is setting a worryingly late deadline for their conclusion.

"We have to sign something at some point before Bahrain at the latest," he said.

Wolff insists that he is not making any serious threats in the negotiations, amid rumours George Russell is the obvious favourite to step in.

"In our long-term partnership it is never about any threatening gestures. I did threaten him that I am next in line for his seat," he joked.

"We will pull out the pen at some point. We have such a solid basis in our relationship and we want to continue to have more successes in the future."