Seven-time wo꧟rld champion Hamilton is out of contract at the end of this year and although an extension is expe🧜cted, a deal appears no closer to being signed. 

There is similar uncertainty over Leclerc’s future at Ferrari. The Monegasque, whose deal with Ferrari runs out at the end of 2024, has found himself heavily li💙nked with Mercedes as Hamilton’s eventual successor. 

Despite Leclerc insisting that168澳洲5最新开奖结果: “no negotiations” have taken place with Mercedes, renowned Italia𓂃n F1 journalist Leo Turrini has claimed otherwise. 

"Leclerc talking🦩 to Mercedes is an open secret," he wrote in a piece for Quotidiano Nazionale. "Everyone kn🌠ows it, from the remote garage in Maranello to the Indian Ocean.”

"[George] Russell is very, very strong. But if Hamilton were to stop, whoever pays in Stuttgart might not accept an🃏other [Valtteri] Bottas alongside a driver who is not yet a world champion.”

But Turrini cannot𝓀 see Hamilton making the switch to Ferrari and ending his F1 career at Maranello. 

“What would he do if he real🦄ised that he could no longer win wiඣth the Silver Arrow? I do not know,” Turrini continued. 

“I know that Hamilton has ne🔯ver been close to the red team. There was never a deal. Never.

“It is true that John Elkann, who became president after Marchionne’s death, asked for information on Hamilton’s contract. We were🌄 in 2019, Vettel was almost at the end of his credits, but Lewis having won titles in a flurry running alone was not in the least interested in the prospect.

“Today, 2023, but with the contracts in force in Maranello we are talking about 2025, the media hit would be sensational. But Ferrari needs much mo🉐re than a marketing operation.”