The Ferrari Formula 1 squad is reportedly preparing to offer Lewis Hamilton a massive deal to lure him away from Mercedes.
Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the current campaign.
Despite the slump in form that the Brackley-based squad is enduring, Hamilton has insisted that he is keen to remain with the team beyond 2023.
Additionally, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff recently stated that he doesn’t have a “millimetre of doubt” regarding the 37-year-old’s future with the team.
However, according to Mail Sport, Ferrari chairman John Elkann is keeping in close contact with Hamilton and is set to offer a huge figure to bring him to the team.
The number is currently being reported at £40 million a year.
Should Hamilton opt to sign for the Maranello-based squad, there is uncertainty over whom he would partner.
Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are tied down until the end of the 2024 campaign.
However, in recent weeks, rumours of a Leclerc switch to Mercedes materialised amid a difficult period for Ferrari.
Leclerc, responded to the rumours, stating: “For now, I am fully focused on the project I am in today, which is Ferrari. I fully trust and I am confident for the future, then we will see, but I am fully confident for the project of Ferrari.”
A potential straight swap between the two could be on the cards, while the report also claims that Ferrari could part ways with Sainz to allow for a Hamilton-Leclerc pairing.
Hamilton has endured a difficult 18 months with Mercedes as the once-dominant outfit has slipped back in the pecking order.
Having won eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021, Mercedes started the sport’s new era under fresh technical regulations last year on the back foot.
Hamilton had the first win-less campaign of his highly successful F1 career, and has been unable to challenge at the front of the field at the opening rounds in 2023.
But Ferrari, too, has had its struggles this year, taking just a single podium finish at the first five races while rivals Red Bull have dominated.
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