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Ferrari chief: Hamilton talks informal
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Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari Chairman John Elkann have met socially but talk of a move for the six-time Formula One world champion is premature, according to Chief Executive Louis Camilleri.
Ferrari had previously not confirmed the meetings, while not denying them either.
鈥淚 think it has been public that Lewis has had conversations with our chairman,鈥 Camilleri told reporters invited to a lunch at the Italian team鈥檚 Maranello factory.
鈥淚t 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.鈥
Italian media have reported Hamilton twice met Elkann this year, triggering speculation that the 34-year-old Briton could move to glamour team Ferrari once his Mercedes contract expires at the end of 2020.
Team boss Mattia Binotto said at the lunch that Ferrari was 鈥渇lattered that Lewis, in particular, and other drivers want to come and join us.鈥
Asked whether Ferrari might let Hamilton have the same freedoms he enjoys at Mercedes, with the Briton pursuing interests in fashion and music and outspoken on the environment and racial issues, Camilleri drew a line under the questioning.
鈥淗onestly, I don鈥檛 want to go there. You are trying to push a bit too hard on the Lewis story,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 totally premature and we鈥檒l look at our options at the appropriate time and we will see what is the best fit for us as a team.鈥
Ferrari鈥檚 2020 lineup is four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who will also be out of contract, and 22-year-old Monegasque Charles Leclerc, who has a longer-term deal.
Vettel鈥檚 future has been the subject of much speculation after Leclerc won more races, pole positions and points than the German this year.
Binotto said Vettel remained 鈥渁 key driver鈥 and 鈥渃entral to our projects鈥 with Leclerc learning a lot from him, but he also left no doubt that the future was open. 鈥淚 think that with Seb we need to sit down ... to understand his intentions.鈥
鈥淚 think we need to see as well the performance and how he does fit with the car and his motivation for the future.鈥
Hamilton has said he is also waiting for Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to decide his own future, with the Austrian talked of as an eventual replacement for Formula One chairman Chase Carey, appointed by commercial rights holder Liberty Media.
Camilleri said Ferrari would be against such a move. 鈥淚 think that anybody who鈥檚 really been an active and important player in a certain team within the last years, to take on the responsibility at F1 would automatically create conflicts of interest, perceived or otherwise,鈥 he said.
鈥淪o I personally think it would not be a good thing as to who should ultimately run F1.鈥
Asked whether Ferrari could use their right of veto to stop it happening, Camilleri said that was a 鈥渓ast resort tool.鈥
鈥淪hould we be confronted with that I think we would explain our position quite clearly to the folks at Liberty ... and I think we would have a constructive conversation,鈥 he added.
Earlier, Binotto revealed that Ferrari will launch its new F1 car on February 11 and expects it to have less outright speed than this year鈥檚 but be better equipped to take the fight to Mercedes.
He said that Ferrari was aiming to put a lot more aerodynamic downforce on the as-yet unnamed 2020 car.
The sport鈥檚 most successful team has not won a drivers鈥 title since Finn Kimi Raikkonen was champion in 2007.
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