Reports: F1 great Lewis Hamilton linked with shock move from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025

London: Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has been linked with a shock move from Mercedes to Ferrari next year, according to reports on Thursday.

Sky Sports News said Hamilton would leave Mercedes after the 2024 season and replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari. It didn’t cite any sources.

The Daily Mail also said the deal would go through, while motorsport.com said it wasn’t a done deal yet, but negotiations were at an advanced stage and could be concluded this week.

When contacted by The Associated Press, Mercedes and Ferrari declined to comment on if Hamilton will join Ferrari.

The move would surprise many F1 observers because the 39-year-old British driver signed a new two-year deal last summer until 2025, although it remains unclear whether the deal contained an escape clause.

Hamilton won six titles with Mercedes in seven years from 2014-20 and lost the 2021 championship to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the final lap of the last race. He has not won a race since 2021 and remains stuck on a record 103 wins.

If he joins Ferrari he would likely replace Sainz, considering Sainz’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, recently signed a multi-year contract extension. (AP)