LEWIS HAMILTON is eyeing a "perfect weekend" at the Monaco Grand Prix after penning a lucrative, three-year deal with Mercedes.
The reigning Formula One world champion has been the subject of intense speculation this season, having been locked in negotiations since the turn of the year. However, Hamilton and Mercedes have at last reached an agreement, with the new deal until the end of the 2018 season reportedly worth up to £100million.
That would make him Britain's highest-paid sportsman - not bad recompense for doing what he admits is the "coolest job" around.
"I've been with Mercedes a long, long time," Hamilton said.
"They were a part of getting me to Formula One. When I signed in 1997 at McLaren-Mercedes, they were hugely influential in guiding me to Formula One and I've only ever driven for Mercedes, so it was natural to want to continue with them.
"Plus, obviously I joined this team and we've had amazing success. I'm very, very happy with the package and the group of people that I have within this team. So it was a very easy decision to make and it's also great that the team wanted to continue working with me."
Despite links to Ferrari, Hamilton says it had always been his desire to extend his stay with Mercedes and again refuted suggestions money was a sticking point.
"We started conversations in February and I took my time," he said.
"Some weeks, I thought about it, some weeks I didn't. I never felt there was a particular rush. I had this year when I was still contracted, so it wasn't a case where I was studying it every single day.
"I would kind of go away from it, come back to it, go away from it, come back to it and just took my time really. And it was also the first time I'd ever done it, so there was a lot to learn, there was a lot of studying to do, to really understand everything. It was great. I earned my 10 per cent so I felt great."
The deal was announced on the eve of practice in Monaco, where he is looking to top the podium for the first time since the title-winning season of 2008.
"I arrive here just doing another new race," Hamilton said when asked about his approach this time.
"I'm mostly focused on areas that I need to improve on, so it's an opportunity, another chance. I've only won here once in 2008 and that wasn't even a perfect weekend then, so I'm still struggling for that perfect kind of weekend.
"There are some that the drivers here have had over the years, so I'm looking for that."
Hamilton was in jovial mood at the six-strong drivers' press conference, chatting and joking with former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button throughout. The British driver reminisced about the journey from Stevenage in England to waking up to a view over Monaco and the lifestyle he now leads.
Hamilton's excitement at staying with Mercedes was clear, so too his desire to continue past the end of his deal, by which point he will be 33.
"That's pretty young still, hopefully, which I'm grateful for," he said.
"So yes, definitely. I definitely see me continuing past that."
