It was only last week when Charles Leclerc extended his contract at Ferrari for “several seasons” beyond 2024. Following that, everyone was perplexed by only one question: What about Carlos Sainz? Apparently, Sainz’s contract negotiations with the Italian outfit have hit a roadblock. A few months ago, there were rumors of Lewis Hamilton potentially jumping ship from Mercedes to Ferrari. While those did not come to fruition back then, it has become a shellshock update now in the 2024 Silly Season, with Sainz being the collateral damage.
According to Spanish medium AS, the Italian team may have put the negotiations with the #55 driver on hold. Italian media speculates that their focus is to bring Lewis Hamilton on board for the 2025 season.
This is a huge development in the context of the 2025 driver market, with many drivers looking for new contracts. Besides, from Mercedes’ perspective, this could disrupt their plans for 2024 and beyond, as Hamilton had extended his contract last year till the end of 2025.
However, reports suggest that his contract for next year is only an option deal. Therefore, it gives the seven-time champion the freedom to switch over to any other team like Ferrari, if he wants. Hamilton has often been connected with Ferrari in the past, whenever his relations at Mercedes were under strain.
For Hamilton and Mercedes, relations seemed stable until now. On the other hand, Sainz and Ferrari have been hassling over their extension for a while.
The Spaniard has his contract expiring at the end of 2024 and no extension news has come out yet. Since Leclerc signed his bumper multi-year deal, serious questions have been raised about why is Ferrari keeping Sainz waiting.
There are of course speculations of the Italian outfit favoring Leclerc with a bigger deal than his 29-year-old teammate. Although with rumors about Hamilton joining Ferrari picking up pace, nothing can be said unless the teams officially confirm anything. As things stand, neither Ferrari nor Mercedes have said anything about the situation.
How is Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari finally going to happen?
There have been numerous instances of Lewis Hamilton reportedly negotiating for a Ferrari seat in the past. Although, this time it seems to be coming off strongly with several media houses claiming that the move may actually happen.
From Ferrari’s perspective, they may be keen to get a champion driver like Hamilton on board even if it means making some sacrifices. Sainz’s stint has brought stability to their lineup and his dynamic with Charles Leclerc has been really smooth. Therefore, it most likely will be a setback for the Italian team if they lose a reliable team player like Sainz.
Meanwhile, it will also be a setback for the Spaniard. Sainz currently has limited options available if he has to leave Maranello. The one rumor that has been gaining steam though is that the 29-year-old may move to Audi (currently Sauber).
So, with the reliable wingman Sainz out of the picture, how will Ferrari’s lineup function? Fans are wondering if Hamilton actually goes to Maranello, how would he team up with Charles Leclerc? With both being star drivers, it may be a potent lineup on performance, but there are chances of an internal tussle too.
Has Hamilton lost faith in Mercedes?
There have also been speculations on why Lewis Hamilton wants to switch in the first place from Mercedes. Having signed his contract only six months ago, it seems odd for a long-term-focused individual like Hamilton to make such an impulsive move.
There are possibilities that the Briton knows something about the Silver Arrows’ improvement potential and how it may be a miserable year in 2024 too. Fans have joked about the Mercedes W15 failing to deliver in pre-season testing and even throughout the year. Thus, the #44 driver may lose faith after having three consecutive winless seasons.
In the past, the 39-year-old has shown an inclination to join Ferrari and drive in the Scarlet Red overalls. Back in 2016-17, when he was facing a lot of turmoil at the Brackley outfit, following his tussle with Nico Rosberg, there were similar rumors of Hamilton going to Ferrari. It naturally did not materialize then, with Toto Wolff convincing him otherwise.
However, this time the situation is worse with Mercedes not in a winning position. Still, Hamilton has expressed faith in rebuilding the team and getting it back to championship glory.
This has been the seven-time champion’s mission ever since he extended his stay at Mercedes till 2025. So, if Hamilton is going to jump ship to Ferrari, it would be a huge tremor-like move in the F1 paddock.
