Lewis: Ferrari move still possible
LEWIS HamILton, a regular hate figure at monza, last night opened the possibility of writing a final, remarkable chapter in a Ferrari.
the world champion has won on the Scuderia’s home circuit in four of the last five years and then been booed as he celebrated by the partisans.
But part of him has always entertained the notion of becoming only the third Briton to win a title at the wheel of the famous red car*. He even told mercedes — primarily as a negotiating ploy — he was considering a move to Ferrari while in talks over his contract last season.
that £40million-a-year deal has just over 12 months to run and he is pondering his options afresh for 2021 and beyond. In his dreams, he would pen the script like this: title no 6 at mercedes this year, no 7 at mercedes next year, then no 8 at Ferrari to surpass michael Schumacher’s all-time record. But the tifosi — Italian for ‘fans’ and coined by murray Walker as the collective noun for Ferrari fans — have not been enamoured with Hamilton (left), holding him responsible for their team’s barren run at monza, stretching back nine years and Fernando alonso’s victory in 2010. But ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton has detected a thawing, saying: ‘often I’ve made the weekend not very good for them by standing on the top step. now a lot of Ferrari fans ask me to go to Ferrari.’
Explaining the conflict he faces in determining where to sign what may be his last contract — he will turn 36 in January 2021 — Hamilton added: ‘How would I feel if I ended my career without being at Ferrari? Honestly, when you drive for mercedes you are part of the family. Loyalty is a key part for me, but if there is a point in my life when I decide I want a change, then Ferrari could be an option.’
Ferrari have higher hopes of victory here than for some time and Charles Leclerc, buoyed by his maiden victory at last Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, duly topped the time sheets in practice yesterday, with Hamilton just seven-hundredths of a second back.
* Well done if you said Mike Hawthorn (1958) and John Surtees (1964).