F1 star Lewis Hamilton is reportedly set to be offered a mammoth $75 million a year deal to leave Mercedes for rivals Ferrari in 2024.
According to the Daily Mail, the two parties are in discussions about the move, with Hamilton out of contract at the end of this year and yet to re-sign with Mercedes.
It’s understood Ferrari is prepared to start negotiations at $74.9 million, which is roughly in line with reports of his current salary.
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The report claims Ferrari is prepared to replace Carlos Sainz with Hamilton or drop No.1 driver Charles Leclerc for the Briton, if the Frenchman has a problem with being his No.2.
Such a move would be in conflict with the team’s earlier plans to build around Leclerc, who is 13 years Hamilton’s junior.
However, Leclerc’s propensity for high-speed crashes and the costly nature of the sport has put some at the Italian manufacturer offside.
Both Sainz and Leclerc are under contract next season and would have to be paid out, though neither would likely encounter much difficulty filling Hamilton’s vacancy at Mercedes.
Hamilton insists he intends to sign a new contract with Mercedes, although rumours emerged in the Italian media in late April that Leclerc was in talks with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff about a possible switch.
“I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about ending my career anywhere else,” Hamilton told ESPN.
“I thought about and watched the Ferrari drivers on the screens at the track and of course you wonder what it would be like to be in red.
“But then I go to my team, to Mercedes, and this is my home. I’m happy where I am. I haven’t signed a contract yet, but we are working on one.”
While Hamilton has said in the past that he wants to stay with Mercedes “until my last days” there are reports Hamilton was not happy with the team for not taking his feedback at the end of 2022 around its car philosophy under the new era of regulations.
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