LEWIS HAMILTON’S Mercedes boss says he will not stand in his way if he wants to join Ferrari.
Ahead of today’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Merc chief Toto Wolff claims he would CHEER if Hamilton signed for the Italian team in 2021.
The astonishing revelation came after Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto publically hailed Hamilton as “an outstanding driver” and added: “Knowing that he’s available in 2021 can make us only happy.”
Hamilton, who starts today’s race in pole position also refused to rule out a move to Ferrari when his £40million-a-year Merc deal expires in December 2020.
When asked by SunSport if Ferrari’s flattery were a waste of time, he said: “It is never a waste of time being nice to someone.
“It is a team I have always appreciated over the years. To have the respect from someone there who is so high up is not a bad thing.
“They have two great drivers but who knows what the driver market will be doing over the next few years?
“I’m still in contract and negotiations haven’t started yet. I honestly don’t know how the next phase of the month is going to go when it comes to contracts.”
The six-time world champ met Ferrari president, John Elkann, twice during the 2019 season.
And while Wolff says his main focus is to retain his star driver for the 2021 season, there is a growing feeling he could be preparing to wave him goodbye.
Coming amid speculation about his own future, Wolff, tipped as a replacement for F1 CEO Chase Carey, gave a frank assessment of the situation at the Silver Arrows.
He added: “I am totally OK with that. It is a free world and I recognise that everybody needs to explore career options and make the best decisions for themselves.
“A racing driver is always trying to be in the quickest possible car and the quickest possible team is always trying to have the best racing driver driving for them.
“Mattia said he has the highest esteem of Lewis and you can also bet that if he meets with his chairman, he is not going to talk badly about that either.
“I am totally relaxed about the situation. We have to push very hard to provide the drivers with the quickest possible car. If we are able to do this, I am 100 per cent convinced we will have the best driver line-up in the car.
“All this points for this relationship to continue but you never know.
“My personal priority to the team would be to continue this successful journey. We are benefiting from a healthy relationship and if that were to end one day, I would be the first one to cheer.”
When quizzed if he would turn his attention to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen if Hamilton jumped ship, Wolff said he would not look at potential candidates until he had made a decision on his future.
He said: “The values in our team are that loyalty and integrity are No 1 on the list.
“Understanding Lewis’ position and his objectives will be key for any decision we take. We will not embark on a fishing mission with potential drivers until Lewis and us have had that discussion.”
Hamilton took the 88th pole position of his career while his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas will start at the back of the grid following engine penalties.
Verstappen will be bumped up to second on the grid, with Charles Leclerc starting in third.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
