It appears that Lewis Hamilton remaining at Mercedes isn’t as certain as initially thought, following a report by Mail Sport which states that Ferrari are set to offer the seven-time World Champion the chance of a lifetime.
According to Mail Sport, Ferrari are preparing an offer worth £40 million to try and convince Hamilton to ditch Mercedes, a side he only recently referred to as his “home”.
Hamilton has been linked to Ferrari already this season; however, those rumours were quashed after the 38-year-old shared his intent on remaining with the Silver Arrows.
Seemingly, a move to Ferrari remains a real possibility for 2024, with his current deal at Mercedes set to expire at the end of this season.
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Hamilton has revealed recently that a new contract is being worked on with the Brackley-based team, although, he appears to have more than one offer on the table.
A move to Ferrari would result in either Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc departing, in order to make a seat vacant for the 103-time race winner.
According to Mail Sport’s sources in the UK and in Italy, Ferrari are considering how they could sign Hamilton, with their preferred option being to release Sainz.
Like Leclerc, Sainz is contracted until the 2024, meaning his contract will likely have to be terminated in agreement with the Spaniard to make room for Hamilton.
This would see the British driver partner Leclerc, who’s currently behind Sainz in the Drivers’ Championship following a miserable start to 2023.
The other option Ferrari are reportedly considering is to let Leclerc move to Mercedes, allowing Hamilton to move in the other direction.
It would effectively be a swap deal, putting Hamilton alongside Sainz and Leclerc alongside George Russell.
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Ferrari president John Elkann is reportedly in contact with the Mercedes star about making the massive move happen, which would see him push for an elusive eighth World Championship in the team where Michael Schumacher claimed five of his seven titles.
Should Ferrari continue to be behind Mercedes this season, though, then the Briton would likely remain where he is, given that he needs to be in the most competitive car possible in order to fight for an eighth crown.
Had Hamilton been younger, then perhaps he’d make the switch regardless of Ferrari’s current performance; however, with retirement looming for the Stevenage-born driver, he can’t afford to go backwards in the pecking order.