The six-time world champion's clarification follows Italian media reports claiming negotiations with team boss Toto Wolff have broken down over his annual pay demands.

The British racing star's contact is set to expire at the end of the year, and the six-time world champion has been heavily linked with a move to Ferrari.

They will come face to face when Hamilton, whose contract is due for renewal at the end of the season, returns to work at the Silver Arrows' Northamptonshire factory on Tuesday morning. 

Lewis Hamilton has unveiled the new Mercedes he hopes will fire him to a record-equalling seventh Formula One world championship.

Lewis Hamilton has hit back at criticism from Red Bull rival Max Verstappen , calling the Dutchman's comments 'a sign of weakness' after he recently lit the fire ahead of the upcoming season.

JONATHAN MCEVOY IN BARCELONA: Lewis Hamilton is making Mercedes wait to open contract talks, though he revealed that 'freedom' will be a central demand when negotiations finally start.

Mercedes' reinvention of the steering wheel has been banned just a day after it broke cover. Not that Lewis Hamilton and his boffins will mind because it won't be outlawed until 2021.

It has been reported that Hamilton could pocket around £60million from a new deal with Mercedes but he and Wolff both claimed that they have not yet spoken about figures.

Lewis Hamilton has said he needs to figure out his next 'five to 10-year plan' before signing a new contract with Mercedes. Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren back in 2013.

Mercedes have reinvented the wheel - for now. Their new DAS system took onlookers by surprise when cockpit cameras showed Lewis Hamilton tugging on his steering wheel.

EXCLUSIVE BY JONATHAN MCEVOY: Lewis Hamilton's future at Mercedes was cast into doubt when his boss Toto Wolff was absent from a heated conference call intended to save F1.

The reigning Formula One champion is waiting to agree terms over a new contract with Mercedes, with his current £40million-a-year deal expiring at the end of this season.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has bought a stake worth about £37million in Aston Martin, the British sports car company that will return to the Formula One grid as a works team next year.

Geoffrey Edelsten wears an all-orange outfit on Tuesday when he filmed the upcoming series of Celebrity Apprentice in Sydney.

The Portuguese star is close with mother Maria Dolores, who has had a huge influence on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's career, and the 65-year-old has shown off her latest gift.

Day four of this summer's European Championship sees holders Spain in action against the Czech Republic. Belgium's clash with Italy will also be a tasty affair while Ireland are in action.

While Group A, B and C may be taking shape, attention turns to Group D and E on Friday. Italy stormed to a 2-0 victory over Belgium and will want more success against Sweden.

RICHARD EDEN: But the custody battle between the billionaire ruler of Dubai, who retained the services of Lady Ward (inset), and his estranged wife, Princess Haya, who had Lady Shackleton (right)...

RICHARD EDEN: As David Beckham's wife, Victoria, struggles to keep her fashion label going, his sister has been forced to admit defeat with her own business aimed at the rich and famous.

Data from world governing body FIFA's International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) has shown that agents' fees have climbed above the half a billion pound mark for the first time this year.

Following requests from a number of Serie A clubs, the country's governing body released a statement in which it said it was open to trialling a system whereby teams could request an on-field review.

Organisers of the Northey Street Organic Farmers Market in Brisbane were furious when police infiltrated the market in the car rather than on foot on Sunday.

'My biggest thing is my blood pressure,' she said in Instagram Stories. 'A lot of blood transfusion action this weekend, so I'm just taking it super easy trying to restore and build my blood.'

HENRY DEEDES: Snigger all you like, but there was once a time when the name Chris Grayling struck fear into the bellies of Labour's front bench.

HENRY DEEDES: Yesterday, with a 752-page, £25 memoir to flog, David Cameron was back in ITV's This Morning studios along with wife Samantha.

Rarely do tributes between political opponents extend beyond leaden platitudes. Before yesterday, the most sincere words of support I've heard between party leaders came after David Cameron's son Ivan died.

HENRY DEEDES: The very people who only recently were insisting no new Brexit deal was available, were now queuing to touch Johnson's cloak as if he was a latter-day prophet.

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Cate Blanchett is to be approached about playing the Duchess of Windsor after an author sold the film rights to her biography of Wallis Simpson, The American Duchess.

It's not every day an international luxury car company holds the global launch of its latest model in Britain — and brings over its top brass to do the honours.

With a longer range, lots of extra space and a heavier steer, the Nissan LEAF might be small but it drives like one of the big boys - and that's no bad thing.

Mercedes-Benz' new flagship S-Class limousine, pictured, could be the cleverest car on the road; it can 'see' potholes and bumps ahead, writes RAY MASSEY.

All roads lead to Germany next week as the Frankfurt Motor Show gets under way. Mercedes-Benz will be showing off its first-ever SUV.

This is not so much a van as a luxurious business-class aircraft cabin on wheels. I had to ferry three adults, two growing teenagers, and luggage.

Just in time to add to your New Year wish list comes Mercedes-Benz's latest version of its C-Class compact saloons. And what a high-tech feast it is.

Expect prices from around £25,500 to about £43,000 for the pumped-up CLA45 AMG, which will accelerate from rest to 62mph in 4.7 seconds, thanks to its 360 bhp, 2-litre turbo engine.

It's Mercedes-Benz's its answer to rival BMW's X6 sports utility vehicle. It will be launched at the Detroit Motor Show next month. The new GLE Coupe is to get sporty styling and improved suspension.

Madonna is splashing her own cash to the tune of $5 million to ensure a showstopping comeback performance at the Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday. 

We spent an inheritance and a lot of savings on buying a tiny flat for one son, but might we be forced to sell up if one of us needed care? Lawyer Ben Tyer (pictured) of GLP Solicitors replies.

Pensions Minister Guy Opperman and shadow pensions minister Jack Dromey have called for for a new independent 'arms-length' government body in a think-tank report.

The comic took to the stage during the heart-stopping performance which saw motorcyclist Jack Price perform an array of dangerous stunts on top of and around him.

President Obama asked the Democrats to unite behind Joe Biden in a 12-minute video Tuesday as he finally stepped into the 2020 campaign.

Matches will continue behind closed doors with a maximum of 322 people in and around stadiums for top-flight Bundesliga matches and 270 for second-tier games.

New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro has unloaded on Nationals leader Michael McCormack in a leaked text message tirade.

CHARLIE SKILLEN: The final four of the champions League rarely remains purely the domain of the planet's best sides. Usually, a fairytale underdog story - that of Porto, Liverpool or Chelsea - works its way into the competition's narrative. This season, that's not the case. This week, The Numbers Game selects a side from the cream of the Champions League semi-finalists. But who makes the grade?

PAUL CONNOLLY: Swedes really don't like to stand out. They much prefer to blend in. They even have their own word for it: 'Jantelagen'.

Speculation surrounds Ibrahimovic's future with his contract at the Serie A outfit due to expire this summer - although there is an option to extend it by another year - and Pioli has hailed the 38-year-old.

JONATHAN McEVOY: The Mercedes mantra has been that they win as a team and lose as a team, but responsibility for these calls surely lies with Paddy Lowe – the technical director.

JONATHAN McEVOY: Mercedes were pilloried here and elsewhere for their embarrassing mistake on the pit wall in Monaco. So we should give them credit for the British Grand Prix.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN SAKHIR: What if it had been Lewis Hamilton charging down on Sebastian Vettel in those tense last few minutes of the Bahrain Grand Prix? Or Max Verstappen?

JONATHAN MCEVOY’S F1 COLUMN: Valtteri Bottas has given Mercedes a headache after his victory in Baku on Sunday? I don't think so. He has made life perfect for them.