Lewis Hamilton, his management, and Mercedes deny transfer rumors

While the transfer season was expected to be calm for the third consecutive year among the top teams, with only Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher’s seats being at the center of discussions, rumors of Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Mercedes added a certain excitement, potentially heralding a major game of musical chairs. If Lewis Hamilton were indeed to sign with the Silver Arrows, would it be to replace or to team up with Michael Schumacher? Who would then be Jenson Button’s new teammate? Would we see a driver move up from a more modest team to sit in a Woking single-seater, as Sergio Pérez, Heikki Kovalainen, or even Paul di Resta could potentially do?

So many questions remain unanswered, but the answers might be unnecessary, if we are to believe the statements of the main person concerned. Lewis Hamilton, quoted by Sky Sports during a demonstration on the streets of Bombay, was indeed very clear about the nature of the rumors: “I think we are all wise enough to understand that people write things and what is written is not necessarily the truth. There is a lot of speculation, there are many stories that are not true.”

If we believe the native of Stevenage, his priority is the end of the season on the track, as he has Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari, and therefore the drivers’ title, in his sights: « I’ve been with the team since I was 13, and we’ve worked very hard since 2009 to try and win this championship, and finally, we are in a position where we can. » And Lewis Hamilton drives the point home: « The most important thing is not to get distracted by all the nonsense going around. I don’t have a deadline. My focus is on trying to win this world championship. Of course, I have to sort these things out, but I have people behind the scenes working on these negotiations. »

On the other hand, Ross Brawn himself, director of the Mercedes AMG team, has also categorically denied the transfer, as reported by Tuttosport, suggesting that Michael Schumacher is his team’s priority: “I don’t believe that Hamilton will leave McLaren, certainly not this season. For now, our focus is on the present and on renewing Schumacher.”

Furthermore, in response to the rumors, voices have been raised in the paddock against XIX Entertainment, the company managing the interests of the 2008 World Champion, which, in this capacity, therefore has a financial interest in seeing Lewis Hamilton increase his income by signing with Mercedes for an estimated amount of 25 million euros per year. Some therefore consider that these financial stakes would take precedence over the sporting aspects of such a transfer, expressing skepticism about Mercedes’ ability to provide Lewis Hamilton with a car capable of winning titles, given its results since its return under its own name in 2010.

A point of view described as absurd by a source close to XIX Entertainment, and cited by the Daily Telegraph: “There is no chance that XIX is pushing Lewis to make a decision to the detriment of his career. The most important thing for Lewis right now is to win more championships—and that’s also the most important thing for Simon [Fuller, head of XIX Entertainment]. He wants Lewis to succeed as much as possible on the track so that he can then succeed as much as possible off it. But there is plenty of time for that. Simon has a long-term view of Lewis’s career. It is a decision for Lewis and Lewis alone. 100%.”

In any case, this is enough to further unsettle the Formula 1 world, which had been led to believe that the deal could have been concluded and announced during the Singapore Grand Prix. It seems, therefore, that the Lewis Hamilton saga is still far from over.