Ferrari and Hamilton deny contract talks
Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton have each denied that there was any contract discussions between the 2, because the British driver continues to maneuver towards a brand new Mercedes deal.
A report within the British press claimed Ferrari was able to make a serious provide to Hamilton to signal him for 2024, with each of the Scuderia’s drivers vulnerable to being changed. Nevertheless, in Monaco on Thursday, group principal Fred Vasseur strongly denied the report, stating he frequently speaks to Hamilton given the previous relationship however that has nothing to do with a possible transfer.
“As a joke, I may say two weeks in the past you (media) despatched (Carlos) Sainz to Audi and one week in the past you despatched (Charles) Leclerc to Mercedes and now I’m alone!” Vasseur (pictured above, with Hamilton) stated. “However you recognize that at this stage of the season you’ll have every week a unique story and we aren’t sending a proposal to Lewis Hamilton. We didn’t do it.
“We didn’t have discussions. I feel each single group on the grid want to have Hamilton at one stage, however it will be bulls**t to not say one thing like this. If I’ve mentioned with Hamilton, I’ve had discussions the final 20 years — I’ve mentioned (one thing) virtually each single weekend with Hamilton. I don’t need to need to cease having discussions with him since you are chasing me.”
Vasseur says the Ferrari drivers didn’t require appeasing after the rumors surfaced, as all group members know there may be common hypothesis surrounding contracts.
“They didn’t need to reassure me final week once you despatched them to Sauber, or for Charles it was Mercedes. They didn’t come to see me and say, ‘Fred, don’t fear, it’s not true.’ We’re used to it — we all know that every week we can have new rumors and we’re simply targeted on the occasion.”
Following Vasseur’s feedback, Hamilton additionally confirmed that he has almost finalized a brand new contract at Mercedes, however that the negotiations have been performed on his behalf on this event.
“I feel, naturally, when you find yourself involved negotiations there may be all the time going to be hypothesis,” Hamilton stated. “And until you hear it from me, that’s all it’s.
“I don’t know, possibly with final weekend and the (Imola) race being cancelled (the reporter) simply received bored. However my group is working carefully behind the scenes with Toto (Wolff, Mercedes group principal) and we’re virtually on the level of getting the contract prepared. I’m having the group targeted on that so I can simply do my job. It’s a a lot better place than I was in earlier than, as a result of I used to do the negotiations alone and it was very nerve-racking. I don’t have to do this anymore.”
Requested particularly if Ferrari had been involved, Hamilton replied: “No.”
Hamilton says the current lack of competitiveness from Mercedes doesn’t have an effect on his emotions in the direction of staying with the group, because it prepares to introduce a major replace in Monaco.
“No, it doesn’t have a bearing. We’re nonetheless a championship-winning group, it’s simply we’ve had the unsuitable automotive and made some selections over the previous few years that haven’t been ideally suited. We’re working by that and all of the power goes in the direction of the brand new improve this weekend.
“The group has labored extremely laborious to convey this improve and we already determined after Bahrain it was what we’re going to do. I used to be just a little bit gutted when the final race received cancelled as a result of I used to be excited to do this new package deal, and whereas right here isn’t the most effective platform track-wise to actually see these come to fruition, we are going to hopefully expertise that extra subsequent week.”
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