'Hamilton's contract negotiations are a big theatre play with a happy ending'

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have still not reached an agreement on a new contract. The seven-time world champion is setting the bar very high for his team, but Pino Allievi believes that INEOS' presence will result in a happy ending.

Hamilton is yet to sign a new deal, making Mercedes the only team on the grid yet to fully confirm their lineup for 2021. The two parties have differences when it comes to Hamilton's wage demands but Ineos could make up the difference.

The sponsor and new part-owner of Mercedes has joined Mercedes for a reason and will do anything to keep the star driver on board. Pino Allievi is predicting a happy ending when it comes to negotiations.

''There will be adjustments to be made to the contract, but that is not shocking. You would assume that an agreement had already been reached in Abu Dhabi, but everything that is going on now is just a play with a happy ending. You don't think that a big player like INEOS can enter the market without the guarantee that Hamilton will extend his contract," Pino Allievi told the Italian magazine.