Lewis Hamilton says he has not spoken to Mercedes about signing a new contract as he prepares to launch his bid to equal Michael Schumacher's record of seven drivers' championship titles.
The British driver's ?40 million ($52 million)-a-season deal expires at the end of the year and he has been linked with a move to Ferrari.
Reports in Italy say talks over a contract extension between Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff have stalled.
But in a post to Instagram which he later deleted, Hamilton wrote: "Toto and I have not even spoken about contract yet. Nothing is being negotiated currently."
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