Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari rumors blown out of proportion?

Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri believes that the Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari rumors for the 2021 Formula 1 season are being blown out of proportion by a simple social event.

The “it” driver and the “it” team of the 2021 Formula 1 Silly Season are Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, respectively. It should surprise nobody that the rumors about the current Mercedes driver and the sport’s most successful team joining forces are beginning to heat up.

Hamilton, like the overwhelming majority of the 20 drivers who are slated to compete in the 2020 season, is set to enter a contract year in 2020. He has been with the Silver Arrows since the 2013 season, and he signed a two-year contract extension in July of 2018.

Ferrari are actually quite unique in that they do have a driver under contract beyond the 2020 season. Charles Leclerc, who just finished up his first season driving for the Scuderia, is under contract through the 2022 season.

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Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel is the driver who many believe will lose his ride with Ferrari after the 2020 season. He is slated to enter his sixth season driving for the Italian team after signing a three-year contract extension in August of 2017.

His recent decline in performance, capped off by a near-suspension following the Italian Grand Prix and wreck in which he took out Leclerc during the Brazilian Grand Prix, certainly doesn’t help his case for another contract extension.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is a six-time champion. Formula 1 has seen five drivers win four or more titles, and Hamilton is the only one who has never driven for Ferrari.

Will that change?

Hamilton and Mercedes have dominated the V6 turbo hybrid era since it began in 2014, with the 34-year-old Briton winning five titles and finishing in second behind teammate Nico Rosberg in 2016, so they are the clear-cut favorites to win again in 2020.

Should Hamilton become a seven-time champion in 2020, it could set him up for a move to Ferrari that could very well result in him claiming what would be a record-breaking eighth title driving one of the red cars.

These rumors have been heating up as of late, and further helping the matter was the report that Hamilton has already met with Ferrari.

Indeed, he has; he met with Ferrari Chairman John Elkann.

However, Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri has stated that this meeting was nothing more than a social event and that the idea that this has somehow linked the six-time champion to Maranello for 2021 is the result of this event being blown out of proportion.

Here is what Camilleri had to say about the matter, according to Formula 1.

"“Obviously, it was a social event, which has sort of been blown somewhat out of proportion, but it was a social event. They have some common friends. The fact is we have a long-term agreement with one driver and with the other driver the agreement expires at the end of 2020.“We clearly are very flattered that Lewis in particular, and other drivers want to come and join us, but it would be premature to decide anything today. It would be premature to decide anything now for the future.”"

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Are the Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari rumors for the 2021 Formula 1 season really being blown out of proportion because of this social event, or could he still end up there in just over a year? Louis Camilleri certainly didn’t shut the door on Hamilton coming to the team, which is actually somewhat significant considering his one-word answer of “no” when it came to the possibility of signing Max Verstappen.

Perhaps the event itself is being blown out of the water a bit. But it still looks like there is a chance that the rumor itself could still end up coming to fruition.

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