Lewis Hamilton has revealed that a top F1 team and rival to Mercedes had approached him to do a deal for next season.
The four-time world champion signed a new two-year deal with the Silver Arrows squad on the eve of the German Grand Prix.
Asked on Thursday in Hockenheim if either Ferrari or Red Bull had made him an offer for next season, Hamilton disclosed that one of the two outfits had indeed approached him.
"In terms of the other guys approaching, one did but I didn't give it any air," he said, without offering any additional insight.
The 33-year-old also explained that his decision to commit to Mercedes for two years, compared to his previous contracts with the German team that ran for three, was destined to provide him with options for 2021, when Formula 1 ushers in a new set of regulations.
"I personally wanted to do two," he explained
"We were talking about doing three but Formula 1 is in quite a…
"The shapes are shifting a little bit, obviously Formula 1 is not committed to all the teams moving forwards beyond 2021 just yet. And I’m interested to see how that all plays out.
"So it didn’t make sense for me to commit into the unknown even though it’s easy for me to imagine just being with Mercedes so that’s not the issue. Commercially everything could shift, or may not.
"It’s impossible to say where I’m going to be in two years, what I’m going to feel like in two years’ time," he added
"All I can tell you is I still feel pretty great. I wasn’t expecting to be as excited as I am now in this signing to extend. I’m also very conscious of how long it is beyond that time."
While Hamilton's massive retainer, rumored to be in the region of £40 million a year, likely represented a good incentive to convince him to extend his collaboration with Mercedes, the Brit insisted that it is his sustained passion for F1 that spurs him on.
“I was just sitting above here doing an interview, looking at the old part of the circuit here. There’s so many great reasons to remain part of this sport," he said.
"Who knows maybe in two years my life will be completely different and I’ll want completely different things, I couldn’t tell you. Time will tell."
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