Over the last few months, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been linked with a move to Ferrari. These rumors came up following the ongoing contract extension dilemma between the driver and his team, Mercedes. Toto Wolff, the team principal after having snubbed claims regarding the switch earlier, now made a very interesting confession. He mirrored Sebastian Vettel’s words to admit that everyone is a Ferrari fan, including him. Nevertheless, he still has a job at Mercedes.
Hamilton is yet to renew his contract with the Silver Arrows and there have been never-ending rumors about him leaving the team. Ferrari is not the only team that is reportedly eyeing the 38-year-old, because some sources are also stating that McLaren is interested in having Hamilton back at the team.
However, with the McLaren interest dying down sooner, the Ferrari rumors have lasted quite a while. In spite of these speculations, everyone at Ferrari insists that they are happy with the duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for the time being.
Admittedly, both Leclerc and Sainz’s contracts at Ferrari expire at the end of the 2024 season. Meanwhile, in Mercedes, Hamilton’s deal ends with the culmination of the current season. Although he is expected to stay back at Brackley, an official announcement is still far away.
Is Ferrari a dream team for everyone?
Hamilton, the man with seven world champions has given Ferrari a hard time ever since he debuted in the sport. From denying Felipe Massa in 2008, to defeating Sebastian Vettel during their peak years in the turbo-hybrid era, Hamilton has often stopped the Italian team from tasting success.
Even in 2023 when Mercedes are no longer the most dominant team on the track, the British driver has come out to be better than both Leclerc and Sainz. This could be a factor that is taken into consideration if and when Ferrari think about signing Hamilton. Regardless, Hamilton himself admitted in the past, that he is a fan of Ferrari.
Toto Wolff with Fred Vasseur at the Ferrari wall. pic.twitter.com/CERlbk9Urz
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) April 2, 2023
Wolff also recently claimed that even though he likes Ferrari and is a fan, he is a Silver Arrows faithful. Speaking to Sky Italia, the billionaire boss said as per Tati on Twitter, “We are all Ferrari fans, but we have a job and the job is Mercedes!”
With that said, it is pretty clear that Ferrari is now the main rival for the German team. Given that Red Bull is far away, and Aston Martin is losing grip, the Italian squad is the next rival they have to steer clear off, if they want to finish P2 in the standings.
Can Lewis Hamilton snub Mercedes to move to Ferrari?
Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that he wants to stay with Mercedes on more than one occasion. With that, he also directly snubbed the claims that he is looking to shift to any other team.
The seven-time world champion believes in his current team and thinks they can get back to the top once again. So much so that he is hopeful of grabbing the much coveted eighth world title with the Brackley-based outfit.
As things stand, Mercedes have improved significantly from their 2022 performances. They are currently in P2 in Constructors’ championship, a place above where they were last season. On top of that the W14 has begun to fire up considerably well, as Lewis Hamilton’s recent pole position at the Hungaroring was an example.
