Back-to-back setbacks over the past two seasons have become the trademark of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton as F1 ushered in a new era. However, one of the two is reportedly set to receive another blow as a repercussion of the events of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. Who is it going to be? Mercedes, as the seven-time world champion driver is rumored to change his colors from silver to red.

The rumors come in after Lewis Hamilton has failed to achieve his dream at Mercedes so far, and from the looks of it, he is far from it. Lewis, currently 38 years old, hoped to win the eighth championship and retire. But failing to do so once in 2021, and then with the woes brought in by the W13 and W14 over the past two seasons, the driver is said to be discontent. He wouldn’t have felt any better over his boss’ “12 months” statement. Thus, he is now being linked with Ferrari as his contract is set to come to an end this year.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has been under speculation for a long time. Now, it is the closest ever. Reporting the move, Ferrari insider Leo Turrini was quoted by F1Maximaal from Quotidiano as saying, “Hamilton is very close to Mercedes. He wanted the eighth title and then quit. What would he do if he realized he couldn’t win with the Silver Arrows anymore? I do not know. On the other hand, I know that Hamilton has never been close to a switch to the red team. Montezemolo thought about it when he was disappointed in Alonso, but Lewis had already settled at Mercedes.”

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The interest in Hamilton’s services at Maranello is old. The two have often looked into each other’s garages for drivers but have hardly made any direct transactions. So could Lewis move to the prancing horse and fulfill his aspirations as well as the team? A hanging contract extension is now no less than a severe headache for Toto Wolff.

Effects of the potential move from Lewis Hamilton

A move to the red garage from Lewis Hamilton is one of the two hottest discussions in Formula 1. First, there is obviously the rumor of him announcing his retirement at the end of this season. But a Ferrari move would create massive ripples across the paddock, starting with Charles Leclerc joining the Silver Arrows.

Turrini was further quoted as saying, “That Leclerc is talking to Mercedes is an open secret. Everyone knows it, from the remote garage from Maranello to the Indian Ocean,” while adding that Mercedes would go on to have two competitive drivers instead of backing just one, as was the case with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

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Charles Leclerc alongside George Russell is thus an actual possibility. For Mercedes and Toto Wolff, the biggest task is to convince Lewis over the coming weekends to sign the extension. Otherwise, what was previously termed a mere formality could end up with one of the worst breakups in the sport’s history.