According to reports, Ferrari is preparing to entice Lewis Hamilton to join their team for the 2024 Formula 1 season through a lucrative deal, with President John Elkann already establishing close communication. Hamilton, who joined Mercedes in 2013 and went on to win six World Championships, is currently in the penultimate year of his deal with the team.
However, Mercedes is unlikely to offer a competitive car that could compete for the championship in 2023 for the second consecutive season. Despite verbally expressing his dedication to the team, the Briton has not yet signed an extension.
Ferrari is pushing to sign Lewis Hamilton by offering him 40 million pounds
(50 million USD) deal pic.twitter.com/47X21sSfpm— MenaGrandPrixEN (@MenaGrandPrixEn) May 22, 2023
At the moment, Lewis Hamilton holds seven World Championship victories and is entirely focused on securing an eighth title, which would distinguish him from Michael Schumacher. The question arises: can he achieve this ultimate goal with the team where Schumacher became an icon? The Daily Mail has reported that Ferrari is readying a contract offer in the range of $50 million to tempt Hamilton into leaving Brackley for Maranello.
What do we know about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari?
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur dismissed the notion of an offer being made, and Lewis Hamilton echoed this sentiment while expressing hope that a new contract with Mercedes would be finalized soon.
In an interview with David Croft of Sky Sports F1, the British driver said, “My team is in discussions with Mercedes, and we’re almost there.” Lewis Hamilton managed to manage his contract talks on his own, but now his team of managers is in command of the conversations with Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes.
Fred Vasseur has confirmed Ferrari have not made an approach to sign Lewis Hamilton ❌pic.twitter.com/eIBstoYeDc
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 25, 2023
In regards to the rumors surrounding his current contract, the Briton went on to clarify, “Unless you hear it from me, it’s just speculation. My team is working closely with Toto behind the scenes, and we’re close to finalizing the contract.”
This is the first time Hamilton has delegated negotiations to his management team, and he praised their efforts, saying, “I say what I want, and that’s what we’re working towards. Hopefully, there will be an announcement in the coming weeks.”
Mercedes and Ferrari are not yet considered a danger to Red Bull. Since the Scuderia continues to struggle with tire management issues that limit their performance on race days, there is no evidence to support Ferrari overtaking Mercedes as Red Bull’s next opponent.
Charles Leclerc has also been linked with the possibility of switching to Mercedes. Therefore, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari would primarily represent a change of environment rather than a superior platform for his pursuit of an eighth title.