PARIS (AFP) – Behind the scenes, there are talks between seven-time Formula One world champion Britain's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, who want to add him to their line-up in 2025, in what many media reports is a surprise move for the Mercedes driver. reported on Thursday.
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As reported by several media outlets, notably the BBC and Sky networks, the Italian team is seeking the services of Hamilton (39 years old) to join Charles Leclerc from Monaco after renewing his long-term contract. , Autosport website and Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
The move comes as a surprise as Hamilton has signed a new two-year deal with Mercedes that covers 2024 and 2025, but the contract includes a clause allowing him to leave the team managed by Austrian Toto Wolff after one season.
Reports suggest Hamilton will replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr, whose contract expires at the end of 2024, with the news of the former world champion's departure to be announced to staff at the Mercedes factory in Brackley on Thursday. , before the official announcement.
Hamilton won the last of his seven titles in 2020, losing his crown to Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in the final round of the world championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the following year. The circuit has stirred up many controversies over the decisions 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 in the final drivers' standings in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
For its part, Ferrari, which admitted it was in talks with Hamilton to secure his services in 2019, declined to comment on media reports of 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.
Having won his first title with McLaren (2008), Hamilton shares the number of titles in the premier category with German legend Michael Schumacher, the other six with Mercedes (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020). He also holds the record for number of major prize wins (103). However, he has not achieved any success since the end of the 2021 season.
© 2024 AFP
