Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton could be tempted by a move to Ferrari before the end of his Formula 1 career, despite the reigning wor🍷ld champion being on the verge of signing a new deal with Mercedes. 

Hamilton and Mercedes are currently negotiating a contract extension, which the Briton hopes to have agreed in time for t꧂his weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.💛 

With his current deal set to expire at the end of⛄ 2018, Hamilton is understood to be close to penning a new t🃏wo-year extension, having claimed three of the last five drivers’ world titles with the reigning F1 world champions since switching from McLaren at the end of 2012. 

But Mercedes boss Wolff admits that while he hopes Hamilton will choose to end his career with the Silver Arrows, he would not be surprised if a m𒈔ove to Maranello appealed to Hamilton before retirement. 

“Lewis is the best driver of the modern generation,” Wolff is quoted as saying by Th🌠e Daily Mail. “So of course, I'd like to keep him with us for as long as possible.

“But I think h🌳e has at least one more contract in him after this 🐻next one and Ferrari remains an attraction for every driver.”

“He is happy,” Wolff added. “Our relationship has gone from strength to strength. But of course, during a season things can becom🌼e tenser.”

Hamilton heads into the upcoming campaign looking to seal his fifth driv൩ers’ title, a feat which would see him move level with Juan Manuel Fangio in second place on the all-time list of world champions, behind only seven-time winner Michael Schumacher. 

Mercedes is looking to equal Ferrari’s F1 record of five consecutive world championships, won between 2000-2004 with Schumacher. After a strong pre-season test - in which Mercedes once again racked up the most mi🍨leage of any team - Wolff is in a confident mood heading into𓃲 the new season.

“Even t𒅌hough I'm afraid to say it because I'm superstitious, I feel better now than last season. We had a solid testi༺ng. Last year our car was a bit unpredictable but this year she did what we expected.

“She appears to be less of a diva. We wanted to keep the character traiꦕts of the🐼 beautiful lady but not have her as capricious.

“It seems🌃 almost surreal to think what we've achieved in the last four years. But every year is like cli𓆉mbing Mount Everest and at the start of the season I feel myself in base camp.”