Paris (AFP) – Behind the scenes, talks are taking place between Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One world champion, and Ferrari, which wants to include him in its ranks in 2025, in a surprising move for the Mercedes driver, according to what several media outlets reported Thursday.
Published on: 01/02/2024 – 13:17
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The Italian team is seeking the services of Hamilton (39 years old) to join Charles Leclerc from Monaco after the latter renewed his contract for a long-term period, according to what was reported by several media outlets, most notably the BBC and Sky networks, the Autosport website, and the Italian newspaper Gazzetta. Delo Sport.
This step comes as a surprise, as Hamilton had signed a new two-year contract with Mercedes, which includes 2024 and 2025, but the contract contains a clause that allows him to leave the team managed by Austrian Toto Wolff after one season.
Reports indicate that Hamilton will replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr., whose contract expires at the end of 2024, provided that the news of the former world champion’s departure will be announced to the employees of the Mercedes factory, which is located in Brackley, on Thursday, before the official announcement.
Hamilton won the last of his seven titles in 2020, only to return and lose his crown the following year to Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in the last leg of the final round of the World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, in a way that sparked a lot of controversy regarding the decisions that were taken at the time.
Since then, Verstappen has dominated the championship, winning the title in the last three years, while Hamilton finished sixth and third respectively in the final drivers’ standings in 2022 and 2023.
For its part, Ferrari, which admitted that it had entered into negotiations with Hamilton to obtain its services in 2019, refused to comment on what the media reported regarding the negotiations for 2025.
A Ferrari spokesman said: “We do not comment on rumours.” When contacted by Agence France-Presse, there was no response from Mercedes or Ferrari.
Hamilton shares the record for the number of titles in the first category with German legend Michael Schumacher, as he won his first title with McLaren (2008) and the other six with Mercedes (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020). He also holds the record for the number of victories in major prizes (103). However, he has not achieved any wins since the end of the 2021 season.
© 2024 AFP
2024-02-01 12:17:06
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