- Hamilton is worth £50 million at Mercedes, where he has won six world championships
- Ferrari drive Leclerc can be seen in the video laughing with the Mercedes driver
- Formula 1 fans have responded to the interview saying they are ‘excited’
Formula 1 fans have reacted to a Charles Leclerc interview last year that hinted at Lewis Hamilton becoming his new teammate.
Informed reports in Italy have sensationally linked Hamilton with the Scuderia as early as the 2025 season.
Confirming to the world of Mail Sport exclusively last May, Ferrari was in talks with Hamilton and prepared to offer him a king’s ransom of £40 million to join.
Now an F1 TikTok video from May 2023 appears to offer an explanation for Hamilton’s decision to leave.
The clip starts with the interviewer asking Leclerc: ‘There has been some speculation in the media lately regarding your future partner at Ferarri. What are you looking for in a teammate?’
Lewis Hamilton is set to sign for Ferrari next year in a bombshell move from Mercedes
The Monegasque driver then laughs before looking at Hamilton and saying: ‘Hello Lewis’.
The British driver, dressed in Mercedes gear, can then be seen smiling awkwardly.
Commenting on the clip, one fan wrote: “THIS MAKES MUCH MORE SENSE NOW.”
Another added: “How did we miss it when it was so obvious lmaooo,” while a third said: “Insane.”
Antoher also wrote: “There were also rumors at this stage, so that reaction made sense at the time.”
Hamilton is currently on £50m at Mercedes, where he has won six of his seven world championships and has previously expressed a desire to stay in the sport for the remainder of his time.
The 39-year-old has not won a race in two seasons and finished third in the overall Drivers’ Championship in 2023 after taking six podium finishes.
Hamilton shared a joke with Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur last year in Azerbaijan
Hamilton has had two tough seasons since his neck-and-neck title race with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in 2021
Hamilton found himself chasing Max Verstappen’s Red Bull over the past two seasons
But it’s all a far cry from his glory days at Mercedes, which witnessed world title success in 2014 and 2015, and then in four consecutive seasons between 2017 and 2020.
The Ferrari bombshell comes less than a year after Hamilton denied talks with the Italian brand over a huge £40million deal.
Instead, Hamilton signed a multi-year £100m deal to stay at Mercedes through 2024 and 2025, but it now appears a ‘break clause’ has been included in the contract.