Speaking to reporters in Hockenheim just hours after agreeing a new two-year contract with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton revealed that he had been approached by another team thought to be Ferrari.

The Briton has been in talks with Mercedes about a new contract for some time, with money thought to be the sticking point.

Though nobody is willing to speak numbers it is widely speculated that the two-year deal is worth £40m a year.

Speaking to reporters and having dismissed suggestions that he might 'do a Rosberg' and retire should he win a fifth title this year - the Briton long linked with a possible move to music or fashion - Hamilton was asked if he had been approached by any other teams as his talks with Mercedes dragged on.

"In terms of other teams approaching me, one did, but I didn't give it any air," he said.

While there are few teams that could offer the Briton a race-winning, far less title-winning, car, there are even fewer teams that might be able to match the financial clout of Mercedes, therefore it was suggested that Ferrari might be the interested party.

Asked to confirm or deny that it was the legendary Maranello outfit that had made the approach he replied: "You can make whatever assumption you want."

Explaining his decision to further commit to Mercedes, he said: "Toto is a great human being and a great manager, we have a great relationship and it has gone from strength to strength. We have had our ups and downs, as every relationship does, but it has been one of a lot of growth and I really appreciate Toto being so patient with me. Most people would not have been given the time-frame I chose to take, but the one thing that shows is the trust we have between each other.

"I said from day one 'I am not looking anywhere else… I'm not talking to anyone else. I am not investigating to see what other options there are. I'm not playing you against anybody else. 'While I know there are drivers calling you, which I expect, I also trust you are not thinking to do anything else. So, we can take our time'.”

Revealing that a basic agreement was in place at the time of the Monaco Grand Prix in May, he admitted that subsequent delays were due to his own procrastination over the finer points of the contract

"I just kept delaying it," he said. "I had a contract in place, I just didn't feel like I had to rush. Eventually, we sat down at home and got through it real quick.

"I wasn’t expecting to feel as excited as I am now in signing this extension," he smiled. "I am also very conscious of how long it is beyond retirement."

Check out our Thursday gallery from Hockenheim, here.