LEWIS HAMILTON has spoken about his discussions with Ferrari over what would have been a shock move away from Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion had been linked with a switch to The Pancing Horse before he put pen to paper on a new two-year deal with Mercedes.
Hamilton is earning an eye-watering £50m per year in his fresh terms with the Silver Arrows and the deal came after persistent rumours of a £40m contract at Ferrari.
But the Englishman has now confirmed that the Italian’s offer never arrived and all talks were purely informal.
When asked by Swiss outlet Blick if he was ever offered a contract, he said: “Never. Okay, we’ve definitely had a few irrelevant conversations.
“I know a lot of good people there. But I never felt ready to move to Italy.”
Hamilton had previously described a move to Ferrari as a “dream position” back in 2021, but obviously didn’t come as close as many thought to seeing it materialise this summer.
There has been mounting pressure on the 38-year-old to move away from Mercedes after the team have fallen too far behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Former F1 star Johnny Herbert even said he thought that Hamilton would be the perfect fit for Ferrari and should have made the move to secure an elusive eighth world title.
Speaking to The Mirror, he explained: “He may be aware of what may be happening in the future with Mercedes and has been satisfied that is where his future is.
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“Still, I would have liked to have seen the final part of his career in a Ferrari. I honestly think he was the right character and the perfect fit for them.
“If he is happy where he is, for him, that is the best mental place for him to be. You have got to have belief in where you are at and Lewis does, which is why he re-signed.
“Based on the last couple of years, I don’t see Lewis getting an eighth title.
“The car has got better since they changed from the original concept, but they are only as good as the gap behind Red Bull.”
