Lewis Hamilton’s negotiations with Mercedes over a new Formula One contract beyond the end of this year are “almost there,” he said Thursday, while denying links with a move to Ferrari. Here’s what you need to know:
- Hamilton, a seven-time F1 world champion, is out of contract with Mercedes at the end of the current season.
- Last week, reports emerged claiming Ferrari was considering an offer to sign Hamilton for the 2024 season.
- Hamilton shut down the reports Thursday, saying talks with Mercedes were nearing their conclusion and that there had been no contact with Ferrari.
What Hamilton said
“Naturally when you’re in the contract negotiations, there’s always going to be speculation,” said Hamilton. “I think ultimately, unless you hear from me, then that’s what it is.
“My team are having discussions with the team in the background. We’re almost there.”
Asked if Ferrari had been in contact, Hamilton replied: “No.”
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Backstory
Since the last race in Miami at the start of the month, reports emerged in both the UK and Italy linking Hamilton to Ferrari for 2024 with a potential contract worth close to $50 million per season.
The future of F1’s most successful and globally known driver is always going to be a hot topic, particularly in the final year of his current deal. It’s not new territory for Hamilton.
Since joining Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton has won six of his seven world titles and surpassed 100 race wins, making him the only driver in triple-figures in F1 history.
Whereas previous negotiation periods have coincided with Hamilton’s successful periods, Mercedes is in a very different position now. The car design last season saw it struggle to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari on a regular basis, resigning Hamilton to the first winless season of his F1 career. It also ended Mercedes’ streak of eight consecutive constructors’ championships dating back to 2014.
A series of car upgrades will debut in Monaco this weekend as the team looks to turn its fortunes around and find more performance, and Hamilton said the current level of performance at Mercedes had no bearing on negotiations.
In previous years, Hamilton has handled contract renewals himself, including the most recent agreement signed in 2021 to cover 2022 and 2023. But negotiations are now being led by his management team.
“It’s a much better position than I was in before,” said Hamilton. “I remember I used to do my negotiations on my own and it was very stressful, so I don’t have to do that anymore.”
Hamilton has always maintained in recent months he is only focused on staying with Mercedes. In Australia at the start of April, he said he wanted his relationship with Mercedes to last well beyond his F1 career and go to his “last days,” similar to 1950s racing icon Stirling Moss.
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The current Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, are both under contract for next year, yet it did not stop the speculation emerging about a potential move for Hamilton.
Prior to Hamilton’s appearance in the news conference where he shut down the speculation, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur also denied there had been any talks over a shock move.
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“At this stage of the season, you will have each week a different story (about the drivers),” said Vasseur. “We are not sending an offer to Lewis Hamilton. We didn’t do it. We didn’t have discussions.”
Leclerc laughed off any suggestion he could partner Hamilton in the future, saying he only wants a fast teammate and that Sainz is “extremely fast.”
Asked if he would welcome racing next to Hamilton at Ferrari, Leclerc replied: “If I say yes, I imagine it being the title on every newspaper!
“But Lewis is such an incredible driver, and has achieved so much in the sport. So I think anybody on the grid would love to have Lewis as a teammate, as everybody would learn a lot from him.
“But again, I’m happy where I am, and with Carlos, it’s a great relationship too.”
Sainz added that he felt no need to talk to Ferrari about the reports, because “at this time of the year, there are always these kind of rumors.”
Required reading
- Lewis Hamilton: ‘No hold up’ with new Mercedes Formula One contract
- Revisiting F1 season predictions, Monaco GP storylines
- Sign up for Prime Tire,The Athletic’s F1 newsletter
(Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
