Historic transfer: Lewis Hamilton would be a new Ferrari driver by 2024
The Formula One season is so far in its first races. However, several teams are in the same plan as the Ferrari team, they have already begun to think about what 2024 will be.
Photo: IG Lewishamilton
LatinAmerican Post | Daniel González Guerrero
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Leer en español: Traspaso histórico: Lewis Hamilton sería nuevo piloto de Ferrari para 2024
The current season of Formula One brought with it many inconveniences for some teams such as Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren, which found themselves surpassed by the Red Bull machinery, a team that seems to have everything ready to add a new world championship to its record. As a consequence of this, with the passing of the days, new proposals and changes were generated for 2024.
One of the drivers who raised his voice in protest the most this season was Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes rider made it clear that the inequalities of the cars cannot be so noticeable, since this aspect detracts from the show. For this reason, his intention is that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) can regulate this inequality for the following seasons.
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As if that were not enough, this revolutionary change by Hamilton has not been the only thing that has given people something to talk about. In recent weeks, and as is customary, the renewal of his contract with Mercedes has become a novel, which has increased with rumors of his arrival at the Ferrari team, a team that is willing to pay him a juicy salary to have him as the top star by 2024.
Broken relationship
For several months, Hamilton has been unhappy with his team, since, with the passing of the races, it was confirmed that the level of Mercedes is inconsistent, so it does not have what it takes to compete for the world championship. This is when the frustration of the British pilot is born, who commented that he needs the tools to return to being at the top of this sport.
By not having a car according to the competition, the rumors did not wait. Several specialized media made it clear that the British driver was tired of his current team, so he was already studying possibilities to change the air and reach a new team for the 2024 season.
These rumors gained more strength when it was learned that Hamilton's contract with Mercedes ends in December of this year and that the negotiations to renew this link are quite far away. This inconvenience was confirmed by Toto Wolff himself, CEO of Mercedes.
In one of his last interviews, Wolff commented that the situation with Hamilton is quite complicated at the moment. “It is extremely uncomfortable. Every three years we have this situation. It's like negotiating financial terms with your best friend, your closest friend. I want the best for him, but in the position I'm in, I have to think about what's best for the team. This might be the first time in 10 or 11 years that we've been together and our goals have diverged."
Money problems
The big drawback in this renewal is the amount of money that Mercedes can pay for the new contract of the British driver. With the arrival of new drivers and the constant victories of other teams, Hamilton ceased to be the highest-paid driver in Formula One, an aspect that did not go down well for this athlete. This is why, from now on, he is asking for a significant sum of money for the coming seasons.
Seeing that Mercedes does not have the necessary funds to pay the amount of money that Hamilton asks for, the Ferrari team appeared as a new character in this novel. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, the Italian team is willing to pay 50 million dollars to keep the sports rights of this outstanding runner, a sum that would have more than satisfied the British pilot.
This rumor was increasing with the passing of the days prior to the Monaco circuit. In the absence of several months to finish the season, it was confirmed that Ferrari's intention is to sign a pre-agreement with Hamilton, which was tempted to know the amount of money he would earn if he decides to join the Italian team.
Three-way switch
Ferrari's initial idea is to sign Hamilton for 50 million dollars, the Italian team would also get rid of one of its drivers for the start of the 2024 season. The most likely to leave would be the Spanish Carlos Sainz, a runner who would automatically pass to be from the Mercedes team or to any other team that wants to keep their services.
With this idea in mind, we are about to see a historic transfer in this sport, since a contract of such high economic magnitude had never been proposed.
Despite the fact that Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari is an open secret, the British driver mentioned before the Monaco circuit that he has no conversations with any team and that his relationship with Mercedes is not entirely broken to renew his contract. “It is evident that when a contract is being negotiated there is always room for speculation, and lately all you hear about me is that, speculation. It is the first time that I am not in charge of personally negotiating the contract. My team is in full contact with Toto, and we are about to reach an agreement. And I hope it will be in the next few weeks."
The truth is that with all these rumors, the clear favored of this is Hamilton. The British driver will secure a large sum of money with his new contract, either with Ferrari or with Mercedes, teams that began a fight to keep the rights to one of the most important drivers in the sport.