Merc boss will offer new contract to Hamilton at year-end

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is reportedly set to offer a new contract to Lewis Hamilton at the end of the year in a bid to keep the Brit at the team beyond 2015.

Hamilton's current three-year deal expires after next season, with recent speculations suggesting that Fernando Alonso is attempting to engineer his way into Mercedes as a replacement. Wolff, though, has made it clear that he has no intention of looking at any driver other than Hamilton as partner to Nico Rosberg for 2016 and beyond.

Wolff's remarks come in the wake of Mercedes clinching the first constructors' title in their history with a ninth one-two of the season in Sunday's Russian Grand Prix, The Guardian reported.

Now, it only remains for either Hamilton or Rosberg to wrap up the drivers' crown, with the former 17 points clear following a ninth win of the campaign.

Addressing the future, and the possibility of recruiting Alonso, Wolff said that Mercedes has a contract with both their drivers for 2015, and they want to continue with the current line-up.

Wolff said that this is because these two boys are part of the success of the team, they know each other so well and they respect each other. He added that the moment one gets somebody else in that fight could be detrimental to the team's performance.

So, Wolff added that their main priority is to continue with Hamilton and Rosberg beyond 2015.

Out of respect to Hamilton, Wolff has insisted that talks that began earlier this year would not resume again until the championship battle is resolved, almost certain to be in Abu Dhabi on 23 November.

Wolff said that they have agreed with Hamilton that they want to concentrate on the championship and leave him alone, adding that they want to give him the same possibilities as Rosberg, and for him not to get involved in commercial, financial and legal discussions until after Abu Dhabi.

Wolff said that his commitment to Hamilton as well is that they are not going to talk to anybody about any terms or contracts until then.