Hey everyone - Dillon here - this is a new series titled “Rumour Round-Up” I’m introducing once a week alongside the standard news videos. All the stories contained within this are to be taken with a grain of salt and haven’t been officially substantiated but are things that are being talked about in the world of F1 that may be interesting, could turn out to be true, or simply plain wrong. Without further delay, here is Rumour Round-Up… Newly crowned F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton’s future in the sport has been a subject of widespread speculation as he is yet to sign a new contract with Mercedes for next year and beyond. However, if the latest rumors are to be believed then Hamilton is set to become even richer than he already is I'm your host Dillon Shelley and first up on Formula World: Link to poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgyWfkO4c0fU9UUipAN4AaABCQ 0:00 - Hamilton’s Next Contract The Most Lucrative Yet 1:54 - Rapid Rumours Lewis Hamilton’s current contract that is set to expire this year is worth somewhere in the vicinity of £40 million per year Usually, he renews his contract towards the middle of the season somewhere around the month of July However, this year’s hectic schedule thanks to a condensed season brought on by the delay due to the pandemic has meant that Hamilton did not get the mid-season break to iron out the details of a new contract Apart from the monetary terms, Hamilton also has reportedly requested for a greater freedom with how he manages his time He has also kept a few demands that would entail a greater level of diversity both in the Mercedes team and the organization as a whole The latest developments suggest that Mercedes are more than happy to agree to most of this and that a new three- year contract is already on the table This contract will supposedly be worth £44 million per year and it will also honor most of Hamilton’s requests All that remains is for Hamilton to go over the terms and the finer print before putting pen to paper which he is expected to do over the next few weeks Mercedes are in the quest of overtaking Michael Schumacher’s record of 7 world championships that Hamilton has equaled this year This will also keep Hamilton in the team in 2022 when the regulations will change and they will be hoping to retain their dominant position Rapid Rumours Sergio Perez’s podium finish in Turkey has seemingly improved his chances quite massively of getting the second Red Bull team Meanwhile, current Red Bull driver Alex Albon’s inability to hold on to a strong position has supposedly further jeopardized his chances of staying on at the senior team Nikita Mazepin, one of the possible new recruits to F1 in 2021 was reportedly arrested in Abu Dhabi for violating quarantine restrictions Mazepin, however, has denied these rumors It is almost being treated as an open secret that Haas will hire two rookies for 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is said to be quite unhappy with some of the strategy calls that his team has made in the last few races Some circles are reporting that officials in Saudi Arabia are keener on hosting one of the W-series races as opposed to just an F1 race as that will send a stronger message of their credentials Widespread corruption among officials in Vietnam is being cited as the main reason for the race being dropped from the F1 calendar A race in Miami is seemingly still another five years down the line as the pandemic has brought to halt any developments on that front Meanwhile, Malaysia Sepang circuit has become the front-runner to replace Vietnam even though Turkey’s Istanbul Park has also shown a strong interest What do you think of this new series?