Lewis Hamilton 'politely declined' approach from the most successful team in F1: Reports

An Italian journalist has reported that Ferrari recently offered Lewis Hamilton a contract, which the seven-time world champion 'politely declined'.

Since Hamilton's contract with Mercedes ends at the end of 2023, there are loads of news stories and rumors surrounding him. Though he has been loyal to the Silver Arrows for quite some time, both parties have not officially announced a contract extension.

Leo Turrini, a well-known Italian journalist, recently wrote on his blog that Lewis Hamilton was directly contacted by John Elkann, Ferrari's president. He also reported that the 38-year-old politely and respectfully declined the offer proposed by Elkann.

Tweet about the rumor of Hamilton receiving a contract offer from Ferrari's president, John Elkann (Image via Sportskeeda)

On the other hand, Auto Motor und Sport, another publication, reported that Elkann was not the only Ferrari member who approached Hamilton and offered him a contract. The German publication spoke with Michael Schmidt, who stated that Ferrari's team principal Frederic Vasseur had also approached Hamilton for a contract.

In conclusion, there have been several reports that the Prancing Horse has contacted one of the most successful drivers in the sport and offered him a contract. However, nothing can be said for sure, as there is no official news or information about it.

As of now, Lewis Hamilton is still very much connected to Mercedes. Although there are high chances that he will renew his contract with them, due to the delay in the announcement, many are still skeptical about it.

---

Lewis Hamilton on an annoying issue that resurfaced in Mercedes W14

Lewis Hamilton struggled at the 2023 F1 Belgian GP. This was mainly because of an annoying issue that the Mercedes W14 encountered during the race — porpoising. After the race, Hamilton spoke to Sky Sports and stated that the car was bouncing through several corners and was difficult to drive.

“The car is just bouncing literally every straight. Even Blanchimont was a corner that Lewis had to lift, which is an easy flat normally," Hamilton said. "I struggled at the beginning, rear end is our biggest issue. Then we had big bouncing this weekend, so we are back to the bouncing like we had last year."

He added:

“They [Mercedes] don’t know [what caused the bouncing] and to me it is a concern, but we will work through the data this week and try to figure out what we do before the next race.”

Despite the issues, Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in the Belgian GP. He currently sits in fourth place in the drivers' championship, just a point below Fernando Alonso in third.