Lewis Hamilton Contract: Formula 1: Ferrari F1 team are reportedly in talks with Lewis Hamilton over a gigantic offer for the Briton to drive in red. Hamilton is reaching the end of his contract with Mercedes in 2023. Over the last few weeks, speculations are making rounds regarding the future of the British driver. Mercedes W-14 has yet again proved to be much inferior car than what fans expect of the Silver Arrows. Constant drag issues have ensued the season so far for the driver duo of Hamilton and Russell. Follow Formula 1 Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
There are several reasons why Ferrari speculations are making rounds amongst the F1 juggernaut. Hamilton has repeatedly mentioned his willingness to drive in red over the years, even back in the days when he was a McLaren driver. His stint with Mercedes, though an outrageously dominant one, has arrived at a rough patch. 2022 was the first ever season for Hamilton without a single win. Even In 2023 so far, he has had little success around the track.
Moreover, the negotiations ahead of putting pen to paper between Mercedes and Hamilton are taking a while. Though both parties have signified their intent towards continuing the partnership, some highly credible sources from UK and Italy are suggesting the opposite.
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Driver swap of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a possibility
As per the UK news portal daily mail, Ferrari is currently preparing a mammoth £40 million for the Briton. This will be arguably the highest a driver has ever been paid to join a team. According to this years Forbes data, Hamilton’s net on track earning last year was around £44 million, including fees and proceeds. “Conversations over the extravagant signing are not only advancing at the highest level in Ferrari, but company president John Elkann is already in close contact with Hamilton,” reported by DailyMail.
The team is looking for one of the two scenarios. First one is Hamilton teaming up with Leclerc, leaving Sainz out of equation, which is ideal to the Maranello team. Second would be the duo of Hamilton and Sainz for the red team, which would mean Leclerc crossing over to Mercedes. In Baku, when asked about his conversations with Mercedes, Leclerc said, “No, not yet. Not for the moment.”
However, many insiders believe that the Monegasque might decide to hang his helmet for the Red Team after repeated disappointments. If Hamilton accepts the deal, he might get a chance to outnumber the title record of Ferrari luminary Michael Schumacher in his own team. Interestingly, Michael drove for Mercedes as his last team in Formula 1. Lewis switching over to Ferrari will be a full circle in that regards.
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