Lewis Hamilton Did Not Demand No.1 Mercedes Status in Contract, Says Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff has quashed rumours suggesting Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton has demanded No. 1 status in the team as part of his new contract.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports' Craig Slater, the Silver Arrows chief has insisted that there are other factors preventing the two parties finally agreeing on an extension and that it has nothing to do with the world champion demanding certain privileges:

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That’s not the case – and he wouldn’t ask for that clause because that is not what we do and I think he appreciates how we manage the team and give both drivers equal status.

It is down to the detail. We have discussed and negotiated for a long time. We have sorted out the main terms since a couple of months already and it’s just a little bit of ping-pong between the lawyers. This is the normal process.

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Mark Baker/Associated Press

As noted by the piece, Hamilton has been personally negotiating the terms of his new deal with Mercedes and has described the wrangle as a "pain in the backside."

But the delay has prompted rumours that the two-time world champion is looking for an edge over teammate Nico Rosberg when it comes to certain matters.

Here's how the two men compare in their Formula 1 careers to date:

	Hamilton	Rosberg
Races	151	169
Points	1554	938.5
Podiums	73	29
Wins	35	8
World Championships	2	0

Andy Brownbill/Associated Press

But Mercedes fans should be able to sleep soundly, with Wolff confirming that the team and Hamilton should finalize the agreement "within the next couple of days or weeks."

It's been an excellent start to the season for the Brit, who has sampled victory in two of the first three races. However, the rivalry between Hamilton and team-mate Rosberg seems to be flaring up again, with the German claiming Hamilton was "compromising" his race during the Chinese Grand Prix by driving too slowly, per the aforementioned piece.

It's an eminent needle that doesn't seem to be overly concerning for Wolff, however:

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You are always being judged in our fast-moving environment by the last race. If he has a good race and beats Lewis on Sunday there is no discussion anymore about his pace.

He had a couple of races which were not perfect, he didn't win, but he wouldn't be a Formula 1 race winner if he wouldn't have the strengths to fight back. I have no doubt we will see very good Sundays from Nico as well.

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Vincent Thian/Associated Press

The pair will surely resume their rivalry at the front of the field once again this weekend, with the Bahrain Grand Prix set to play host to the latest chapter in this engrossing Formula 1 campaign. And as noted by the sport's official Twitter feed, it's a track that has previously sparked fireworks between the two Mercedes men:

It doesn't seem to be in Hamilton's nature to request certain advantages. While he could stake a fine claim as the top driver on the team, one of the key facets in the Brit's recent dominance is having a quality operator such as Rosberg pushing him hard on the race track and in the garage.

The rivalry may not be ideal for Mercedes, but to dilute it by adding labels to the two drivers would be to the detriment of each. The rawness of their duel may prompt a few hairy moments on the track, but overall, it's an edge that will ensure both drivers preserve the extraordinary levels that have allowed the Silver Arrows to dominate the top two steps of the podium.