Christian Horner claims Lewis Hamilton had ‘serious talks’ with Ferrari before signing the new Mercedes deal 

Christian Horner alleged that Lewis Hamilton held "serious" talks with Scuderia Ferrari before signing an extension contract with Mercedes.

Christian Horner claims Lewis Hamilton had ‘serious talks’ with Ferrari before signing the new Mercedes deal 

Christian Horner and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton has been driving for Mercedes for most of his career. Hamilton began his time with the team over a decade ago in 2013 replacing Michael Schumacher in a shock move from McLaren at the bequest of Niki Lauda. Hamilton partnered with Nico Rosberg at the inception of his career with Mercedes.

After winning six World Championships and spearheading eight Constructors’ titles Hamilton’s contract was renewed in 2023 for two additional years at the Brackley-based team. Christian Horner revealed that the 103-time Grand Prix winner had serious talks with the Scuderia Ferrari, conversing with Team Principal Fred Vasseur and Ferrari chairman John Elkann.

He met John Elkantoo. I think there were serious talks…There were definitely conversations, perhaps with Vasseur, too. But certainly with Elkann.
Christian Horner said, as reported by formu1a.uno

Lewis Hamilton is currently going through a dry spell with his team. The Briton hasn’t won a race in the past two seasons. The zero sidepod concept did not work well for Mercedes, though Hamilton’s teammate did win a race in Brazil. Hamilton also failed to accrue second place in the Drivers’ Championship after Mercedes’ performance declined in the last few rounds of the season.

Lewis Hamilton calls for F1 to stick to three US races, says GP in Africa needed

The 2023 season saw three different races in the USA for the first time ever. The existing two were in Austin and Miami; a third was announced last year in Las Vegas. This spawned criticism from fans around the world, claiming F1 was pandering to the American audience too much.

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton (via Sky Sports F1)

The Miami GP as well as the Las Vegas GP have faced further criticism from fans for the celebrity factor of the weekends. After F1 chairman Chase Carey leaked a possible New York GP in the future, Lewis Hamilton made his views clear. The 7x World Champion said the pinnacle of motorsport definitely needs no more races in the US, claiming an African GP was more in need.

It’s not my job to decide how many races there is [in America], but we definitely don’t need any more. We definitely don’t need any more races.
Lewis Hamilton said, as reported by msn.com

Formula One has not been to the African continent since the 1993 season when the South African Grand Prix was held in Kalayami. F1 attention to American fans has also increased tremendously, as the sport spent $400 million on the Las Vegas GP alone, and a significant amount in Miami too. Logan Sargeant also joined the grid in 2023, the first American to drive in the sport since Alexander Rossi in 2015. 

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