Hamilton "proud and grateful" of Wolff re-signing with Mercedes

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his pride at seeing Toto Wolff extend his stay as Mercedes team principal for three more years.

Both Wolff and Hamilton finished another victorious campaign with their futures still up in the air, and with the 35-year-old previously intimating his was dependent on that of the Austrian.

Wolff has since committed himself to Mercedes as team boss, which means Hamilton is almost certain to follow at some point over the next few weeks.

Revealing the reason for not doing so was down to the pair "moving quite a bit" in recent times, Hamilton has at least paid tribute to Wolff's management and insisted the team would be in good hands for the future.

"On the super, super plus side, I am really proud and grateful to see Toto signing," he beamed.

"He is such an important leading figure within this team and the success we have achieved would have not been possible without him.

"He is such a great figurehead and I think the team is just better for it, to have that prolonged longevity."

As part of Wolff's contract announcement, Mercedes also revealed he had increased his stake in the team to 33.3 per cent alongside the manufacturer and INEOS.

Hamilton believes the news of INEOS's increased involvement leaves Mercedes with a promising future.

"It is great to see the commitment from Mercedes and the added bonus of having INEOS, who came in this year and have been a part of our success this year," he explained.

"It is great to see they are going to be a part of this team and help with the stability of this team moving forwards and growing to be better.

"It is going to take a big push for us to continue to raise the bar in this organisation because I think we have done such a great job over the past years but I think the right people are in the right place and the future looks bright for this team."

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