Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is reportedly considering leaving the Mercedes team to join Ferrari next year, according to persistent rumors circulating on Thursday.
Sky Sports News has claimed that Hamilton will leave the German team after the 2024 season and replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari. The channel, however, did not cite sources. THE Daily Mail also reported such information, while the website motorsport.com mentioned that the agreement would still not be concluded, but that discussions would be very advanced and could be concluded by the end of the week.
Mercedes and Ferrari declined to comment on the situation to The Associated Press.
This decision would nevertheless be surprising to many F1 observers since the 39-year-old veteran signed a new two-season contract last summer which will expire in 2025. It is unknown, however, whether this pact includes an escape clause for the British.
Hamilton won six world championship titles with Mercedes in seven years between 2014 and 2020, before being beaten to the championship on the final lap of the final race of the season by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in 2021. He won hasn’t won a race since 2021, and remains stuck at 103 career F1 victories.
If he joins the “Scuderia”, then he would likely replace Sainz fils, since his teammate, Monegasque Charles Leclerc, recently agreed to a contract extension for several seasons.
Hamilton surprised everyone by joining Mercedes in 2013.
After dominating F1 in 2020, Hamilton and Mercedes have had a very frustrating two seasons. Mercedes won just one race in 2022, when its car suffered from the ‘porpoising’ phenomenon, and the team admitted to completely botching its design.
Winter testing will begin on February 21 in Bahrain. Bahrain will also host the first round of the next campaign which will be made up of 24 stops, and Verstappen will then covet a fourth consecutive world championship.