Hamilton leaves door open for Ferrari
MONZA, ITALY Lewis Hamilton emphasized his loyalty to Mercedes on Thursday while leaving open the possibility he might one day be tempted to race for Formula One glamour team Ferrari if circumstances change.
The five-time world champion has a contract with the Silver Arrows until the end of next season, when the sport is due for a rules revolution.
“I don’t know if it’s about being tempted, I think it’s just whether or not it’s a part of the game plan,” he told reporters at the Italian Grand Prix when asked about a switch. “Honestly, when you are part of Mercedes, you are part of a family for a lifetime providing you stay with them, obviously.”
“You’ve got Stirling Moss, (the late Argentine Juan Manuel) Fangio is still honoured within the family and you’re part of the history and they look after you for the rest of your life. That’s important to me. Loyalty is a very, very key part.
“But if there’s a point in my life where I decide I want to change, that could potentially be an option. But I don’t know if that is at the moment.”
The 34-year-old won at Monza last year after Ferrari swept the front row in qualifying and drew boos when he stepped onto the podium. Despite the reaction of the notoriously passionate local fans, Hamilton felt he was winning over an increasing number of them with a mutual respect.
“I’m very lucky that I do have a good Italian following. I think Germany’s maybe the biggest area where my clothes sell, but Italy is one of the bigger areas. Maybe it’s because they are really into fashion and like good clothes,” he said.
“I think it’s grown over the years, but it takes a long time to shift perception. You still come here and stand on top of the podium and 90-plus per cent is all Ferrari fans.
“A lot of Ferrari fans ask me to come to Ferrari. And I get a lot of messages from Ferrari fans who say, ‘I am a Ferrari fan, but I respect you.’”
Hamilton goes into the weekend with a 65-point lead over Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas and eight races remaining.