Almost as if to take minds off the appalling decision to reject the Andretti bid to enter F1, the old 'Hamilton to Ferrari' chestnut has been resurrected.

For almost as long as anyone can remember the Briton has been linked with the Maranello outfit, and while some of the sport's biggest stars have raced for the Scuderia, such a move never made sense, particularly when the Stevenage Rocket was winning successive titles with Mercedes.

In 2022, having gone the wrong way in terms of the rules overhaul, Mercedes was eclipsed by Ferrari, but last season the German team leapfrogged its Italian rival to claim second, yet still finished 451 points down on Red Bull.

Now, according to Italian website, Formu1a.uno, the failure by Ferrari to confirm a new contract for Carlos Sainz suggests that the way is left open for the Maranello outfit to make a bid for the seven-time world champion.

As it happens, many thought it odd that while announcing an extended contract for Charles Leclerc, Sainz, whose contract ends this year, and has been linked with Audi, didn't get a mention.

A further twist saw the Italian team announce a 'partnership' with Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, the Italian beer brand owned by the Asahi Europe & International group, whereas it had previously partnered with Spanish brand Estrella Galicia, a long time sponsor of Sainz, which has now switched to McLaren.

In recent weeks, Hamilton, who last August committed to Mercedes until the end of 2025, admitted that should Mercedes fail to take a significant step forward he would consider taking a sabbatical.

"The second seat, the one occupied by Carlos Sainz until the end of 2024, has not been confirmed," claims Formu1a.uno. "The reason for this slow evolution, as Formu1a.uno has learned, would be the sensational attempt to bring Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari in 2025 alongside Charles Leclerc!

"Some talks took place directly with the President of Ferrari, John Elkann," it adds, and "if all goes well we could see this sensational announcement materialise in the next few days".

"Hamilton to Ferrari" has been the go-to headline for much of the mainstream media, especially in the UK, in recent years, even as the Briton romped home to another title and the Italian team was floundering, however, over the last couple of seasons, as the wins dried up, a number of insiders, not least Christian Horner, have suggested that such a move was now possible.

As ever, Hamilton has refused to comment on the speculation, while speaking last season, as the rumour resurfaced yet again, Frederic Vasseur told reporters: "I'm talking with Lewis each week or each month for twenty years, so I can't say that I didn't speak with Lewis at one stage, as we are always in contact.

"It's true because half of the grid drove for me in the past, and in Baku, I had a discussion with Lewis in the paddock, and it started to go everywhere, but if he signed a contract with me each time that we spoke in the past, it would cost me a fortune!"

Naturally news of the 'move', which US F1 broadcaster ESPN claims has been confirmed by its sources, has lit up social media this morning, coincidentally at a time the sport is having to ride out a wave of negative publicity following its rejection of Andretti's bid to enter F1.

Now, "Hamilton to Andretti"... imagine that as a headline.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by @R1Racing71, 02/02/2024 7:13

"It was rumoured a while ago that Carlos already has the Audi drive."

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2. Posted by BillH, 01/02/2024 23:30

"Well, I got it wrong in that Hamilton is indeed on the move.
All the best to him.
Where Sainz Jnr ends up I will not speculate going by my recent lack of form on these matters. "

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3. Posted by Italian Job, 01/02/2024 23:05

"@Spindoctor
It's not only the politicking within Ferrari, it's La Gazzetta dello Sport (a daily paper that is read throughout Italy and wields tremendous influence on F1, cycling, football and more. If the Gazette doesn't like someone, he's toast."

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4. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 01/02/2024 19:36

"@R1Racing71 - you beat me to that comment ;-)"

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5. Posted by @R1Racing71, 01/02/2024 19:21

"Comments haven’t aged well."

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6. Posted by gator, 01/02/2024 19:20

"Lewis, this is coming from a Ferrari fan, long suffering. DON'T DO IT, they have no chance of giving you a championship. How long has their cars been junk?"

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7. Posted by Burton, 01/02/2024 18:03

"Surely for maximum impact and to drive up engagement the league and Comissioner Domenicali should together an immediate player swap deal...unless Lewis's wages would put Ferrari above the luxury cap threshold :p"

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8. Posted by Chester, 01/02/2024 17:49

"@ Bill Hopgood, you have introduced a dastardly idea, that Hamilton could renege on Ferrari 2025 is Mercedes 2024 is a good car. That would be a goat move that I doubt Hamilton would make."

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9. Posted by BillH, 01/02/2024 17:41

"Ferrari will need to brush up on their DEI and other such areas should Hamilton make a move to that team.
Perhaps DEI is why Mercedes have slipped somewhat, choosing staff on qualities other than outright competency and team fit?
I digress, a move by Hamilton to Ferrari story is just that at this stage.
Should Merc significantly improve, then that would be the team to stay at.
I would have thought that Hamilton has seen too many other top drivers end their career end up at Ferrari empty handed.
Ferrari would be taking a gamble too in terms of Hamilton's age and career winding down.
Perhaps the only team that would have attracted Hamilton away from Merc would have been a dominating McLaren with the old guard still at the helm.
I'm with many other commenters and Editor in that this is a resurrection of an old story to distract from the Andretti/GM snub."

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10. Posted by Chester, 01/02/2024 17:24

"ESPN is reporting Hamilton to Ferrari in 2025. If this is just a rumour everyone is getting fooled."

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11. Posted by SF 158, 01/02/2024 16:04

"This only makes sense if Hamilton brings along a ton of Mercedes engineers..."

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12. Posted by Tom2681, 01/02/2024 15:29

"- Mario my tyres are gone.
- Copy Lewis we are checking."

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13. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 01/02/2024 14:16

"It seems there’s some truth behind the rumours. If so, it’ll certainly add some interest for 2025. And it’ll be fascinating to see how Mercedes reacts in 2024. If it’s true, it might produce a vintage Ham/Merc swan song. Senna at McLaren in 1993 was a great final season for that partnership. "

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14. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 01/02/2024 13:31

"This will be the coolest thing to happen in F1 in a decade! The tifosi are going to be going wild on this one! Hamilton will restore some glory to the Scuderia!"

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15. Posted by kenji, 01/02/2024 13:24

"What I'm interested in is knowing how the 'tifosi' have taken this latest news. Thet are a mad crazy passionate mob and their feelings about the change will be fascinating to see evolve. Do they really care who drives their wondeful red cars? "

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