Hamilton interested in “old-school” IndyCar test

The seven-time champion is out of contract at the end of this year, but he and Mercedes are already in discussions about extending their deal.

At last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff suggested that it was only a matter of agreeing on finances for things to get across the line.

“It’s not any difficult contract negotiations, it’s just putting a different timeline and a few different numbers in there,” he said. “And that’s what we do.

“We’re working on this. It’s a work in progress, bouncing emails back and forth. And eventually we’re going to sign it.”

While Hamilton looks set to remain in grand prix racing, that has not stopped him from expressing an interest in trying out different cars – even though he says he is reluctant to compete in another series.

Asked about potentially following previous world champions like Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen to NASCAR, Hamilton said: “I did a car swap with Tony Stewart years ago, which was fun. I’d love to try it at some stage.

“It’s not a dream for me to go and race in another series, but I am an admirer and a fan of racing and other sports, so I always like to try. It’s an amazing opportunity and I got to swap with Valentino Rossi and try a MotoGP bike. I sometimes watch IndyCar. I’d love to try one of those cars at some stage.”

But while expressing an interest in an IndyCar run, Hamilton added that he would prefer it to be an older generation car that did not feature the current aeroscreen.

“I’m not big fan of the big screen that they have, but like the old-school cars they have, the cars sound and look good,” he said.

“But right now, my focus is solely on Formula 1. So, I don’t plan on leaving here anytime soon.”