With the win at Suzuka by Valtteri Bottas (C) and third place by Lewis Hamilton (R) Mercedes clinched an unprecedented sixth successive world championship double of drivers and constructors titles
With the win at Suzuka by Valtteri Bottas (C) and third place by Lewis Hamilton (R) Mercedes clinched an unprecedented sixth successive world championship double of drivers and constructors titles AFP / Behrouz MEHRI

KEY POINTS

  • Hamilton reportedly met the Ferrari boss at a social event
  • Hamilton could leave Mercedes if Toto Wolf left in 2021
  • There is no concrete information yet about the possible deal

Ferrari chief executive officer Louis Carey Camilleri has revealed that Lewis Hamilton has had "conversations" with chairman John Elkann.

Speaking at a media lunch recently, Camilleri said Ferrari were "very flattered Lewis in particular, and other drivers, want to join us." "It's totally premature - we'll look at our options at the appropriate time and see what is the best fit," Camilleri reportedly said.

He also mentioned that the meeting between Elkann and Hamilton happened at a social event.

The British driver, who is chasing a record-equaling seventh F1 world title in 2020, will be without a contract at the end of the upcoming season.

While there have been rumors about his Ferrari move, the Mercedes driver has always denied it over the last few months. At the last race of the year - Abu Dhabi - where Hamilton won, he insisted that he would like to take his time and consider his next move in F1 carefully.

"I love where I am, so it is definitely not a quick decision to go and do something else," the reigning champion had added.

While Hamilton said he was "waiting to see" whether Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff remained with the team, the latter is being considered as a likely replacement for F1 chief executive Chase Carey in 2021.

Speaking about Wolf's situation, Camilleri said, "Anybody who has been an active and important player in a certain team within the last years to take on the responsibility at F1 would create a conflict of interest. It would not be a good thing [that Wolff] should ultimately run F1. Our position is if [Ferrari team principal] Mattia Binotto was the candidate to replace Chase, the rest of the paddock would not be too happy."

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