Lewis Hamilton offered to bet on red – Kommersant

Formula 1 team Ferrari is in talks with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. According to Daily Mail sources, the Briton was offered a contract for £40 million ($49.8 million) a year, and John Elkann, head of the Ferrari automaker, personally takes part in the negotiations. Note that there was talk of Scuderia’s interest in cooperating with Hamilton before, but he himself denied the possibility of leaving the Mercedes team. However, the boss of the latter, Toto Wolf, admitted that there were difficulties with the extension of the Briton’s contract expiring at the end of the season. And they are connected precisely with the financial issue: Mercedes is not ready to pay its driver, as before. However, much more important for Hamilton may not be money, but the chance to still win the eighth record title. Mercedes in its current state does not pull on the championship status.

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion (besides him, only Michael Schumacher has won as many titles) Lewis Hamilton is in talks to move from Mercedes to Ferrari. This statement was made by the Daily Mail, citing several “serious” sources. The publication notes that the head of the Ferrari concern (the latter owns the team of the same name) John Elkann personally takes part in the negotiations, which may indicate that the matter has gone far enough.

It is not reported how long the contract is offered to the 38-year-old Briton. But, according to the publication, Ferrari is willing to pay Hamilton £40 million ($49.8 million) a year. It is also reported that two options are being discussed. The first provides that Hamilton will take the place of Carlos Sainz (he is currently preferred). The second comes down to sacrificing Charles Leclerc, who is allegedly ready to be taken to Mercedes.

Recall that Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes expires at the end of this season, and despite the fact that both the racer himself and the Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolf have repeatedly said that there are no problems with renewing the agreement, a new contract has not yet been signed. And last week, Wolf admitted in an interview with ESPN that the delay is not technical in nature – the parties simply cannot agree on a price. At the moment, Hamilton’s salary at Mercedes is, according to Forbes, about $55 million a year. Toto Wolf made it clear that Mercedes is not ready to pay the same amount further. “My duty is to act in the interests of the team, although I wish the best for Lewis,” he said.

However, the key catalyst for a possible high-profile “transfer” may not even be a question of money, but a question of fame. It is possible that the Briton may consider that with Ferrari he has more chances for the eighth, record-breaking title than with Mercedes, which did not succeed at all in the transition to the new technical regulations that happened last season. The team, which won eight Constructors’ Championships in a row in 2014-2021 (during which time its riders became world champions seven times – once Nico Rosberg and six times Hamilton), for the second consecutive season is only a pale shadow of itself, giving the Briton no chance to compete with new Formula 1 hegemon Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who has already won two championships and is well on his way to a hat-trick. Perhaps Hamilton is waiting for Mercedes-prepared car upgrades to show themselves. At the Monaco Grand Prix, scheduled for May 28, Mercedes plans to bring cars with improved underbody, front suspension and side pontoons. Based on how successful or, conversely, how ineffective the new products will be, it will probably be possible to judge the future prospects of Mercedes, which will inevitably affect Hamilton’s plans.

Alexander Petrov