With the Qatar GP we are getting ever closer to the final part of the season and if on the one hand Max Verstappen is increasingly closer to winning the world title, on the other there is a fight for second place in the constructors' category which is always coming more alive. Mercedes versus Ferrari. Hamilton and Russell against Leclerc and Sainz, all to be decided in these last six races of 2023.
Hamilton denies everything: "This year I have never negotiated with Ferrari"
Lewis's name Hamilton it was more than once compared to Ferrari, even during this season. There have been many rumors about a possible arrival of the seven-time world champion in Maranello. Rumors which, however, have never been confirmed, as - during the weekend of the Italian GP - Mercedes has announced the contract renewal of both Hamilton and Russell until 2025. Hamilton himself definitively denied the existence of contact with Ferrari during this season, in an interview with Blick: “I never really thought about changing teams. And I never received an offer from Ferrari. Ok, we had some casual conversation, I know a lot of good people there. But I never felt ready to move to Italy".
“Exciting to fight with them for second place”
With the certainty that Hamilton will remain in Mercedes, the objective shifts to the track and concerns the defense of second place in the constructors' championship, against Ferrari: "To think – Hamilton admitted – that we are in a fight with them is indeed exciting. I honestly didn't expect that we ourselves could be second in the constructors. Even less did I think of being in a fight with Ferrari, especially in view of the last races of the season. Like them, we started quite badly at the beginning of the season. It's definitely exciting for us as a team and obviously I want to win this challenge, as they want it, therefore, will certainly be a huge challenge: this is a certainty".
