Wolff expects new Hamilton deal to be sorted 'after a few hours'

Toto Wolff reckons that only "a few hours" of negotiating between Lewis Hamilton and himself will be necessary to sign up the Briton to a new deal with Mercedes.

Hamilton's current contract with Mercedes will expire at the end of 2023, but all signs in the past months have pointed to the two parties extending their collaboration one final time.

"We are going to do another deal," said the seven-time world champion last Octorber in Austin.

"We're going to sit down and we're going to discuss it in these next couple of months, I would say."

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Since however, Hamilton and Wolff haven't yet had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the future, as they have had little contact during the holiday season.

But Wolff anticipates that an opportunity to sit down and iron out a new deal will emerge ahead of the start of the 2023 season.

"We have a full year to go," said the Austrian in an online call with the media on Friday. "We're so aligned.

"In the last 10 years our relationship has grown that it's just a matter of him physically being back in Europe, sticking our heads together, wrestling a bit and then leaving the room with white smoke after a few hours."

A prospective new deal is likely to keep Hamilton on the grid with Mercedes for an additional two years. But the Briton hasn't put a hard date on the end of his tenure in F1.

"I’m not putting a limit on it, to be honest," said the 38-year-old in Mexico last year.

"I’m planning to do a multi-year deal with my team. I really, really don’t know what the next five years [hold], I think we’re still trying to work on that.

"There’s a lot of great things that are being put in place, like I’ve just launched a [film] production company this week. But I feel great, like in mind and body.

"I think there’s more stuff to achieve together. I just don’t know [how long]."

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