20 December 2023 , 00:00
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Frederic Vasseur has revealed regular conversations with Lewis Hamilton - but admits a Ferrari move has never been close to materialising.
The seven-time world champion committed two more years of his Formula 1 future to Mercedes earlier this year. But before putting pen to paper on that deal, there was plenty of talk that he was shopping around.
A report that Ferrari were prepared to offer Hamilton £50m to join them was never confirmed. And Christian Horner's claim that the Brit's entourage contacted Red Bull over a potential switch has been disputed too.
One thing Ferrari team principal Vasseur is certain about is that contact between himself and Hamilton is certainly nothing new. "I'm talking with Lewis each week or each month for 20 years," he told reporters at an event at the team's Maranello base.
"I can't say that I didn't speak with Lewis at one stage because we are always in contact. And that's true with most of the grid because most of the grid drove for me in the past and it's not because of that.
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"I had a discussion in Baku, in the paddock we had a discussion with Lewis and then it started to go everywhere. But if he signed a contract with me each time that we spoke in the past then it would have cost me a fortune!"
Vasseur's admission comes after Red Bull team principal Horner caused a stir at the end of the season by claiming Hamilton's team had reached out over a potential switch before signing his new Mercedes deal. The Brit later denied doing so when quizzed on the subject by reporters.
But Horner later doubled down when questioned about it himself on live television. The 50-year-old claimed it was Hamilton's father who had been the one to get in touch on his son's behalf earlier in the year.
He said: "It's amazing the fuss that's come out of this. It's not unusual for there to be an exchange. I've known Anthony Hamilton for 15, 16 years so inevitably there's often an exchange over the course of a season. But there's quite a lot that seems to have been read into this.
"Anthony is a nice guy, he reached out regarding Sergio [Perez] and just asked and enquired. I don't know what role Anthony plays in Lewis' set-up or management, but he's got some form of a relationship. I don't think he was enquiring about himself to come and drive."