Carlos Sainz has insisted he “doesn’t care” about rumors Lewis Hamilton could join the Ferrari Formula 1 team from the 2024 season.
Seven-time champion Hamilton has long been linked with a move to Maranello, and reports this week suggested the Scuderia were preparing a bumper to encourage him to leave Mercedes when his contract expires at the end of the 2023 season.
Team boss Frederic Vasseur categorically denied such an approach, while Hamilton himself revealed that a new contract with Mercedes was imminent after negotiations.
And Sainz says rumors don’t bother him now like they used to.
Sainz rejects Hamilton’s claims
“Honestly, no, because I don’t feel the need to,” Sainz explained to the media, including Racing News365 if he had talked to Vasseur about his future.
“I know this time of year the rumors start and it’s a silly season.
“A week and a half ago I was going to Audi, a week ago Charles was going to Mercedes and now Lewis is coming to Ferrari.
“It’s the story of our lives for this time of year – and I’ve been in F1 long enough, over eight years, to know it’s that time of year.
“You used to read the media a lot more and try to learn a lot more.
“Now I prefer to focus on my weekend in Monaco and just not care what others say and focus on myself. It’s always worked well.”
Future sort term
The Spanish driver is currently in his third season at Ferrari and has given a specific date when he would like to sort out his future so that he knows exactly where he will race in the future.
“Of course I don’t want to reveal what my contract negotiation strategies are because that’s something I never reveal,” he explained.
“If you’ve heard me in interviews in the past, I like to go into the F1 season knowing where I’ll be racing a year later because I went through that experience at Renault (in 2018) and I didn’t like how it played outside.
“My goal (to sort out the deal) is not necessarily this year, but before the beginning of next year or early next year.”
