Hamilton, Ferrari exchange flirts in summer break

With factories closing for the summer break, some sections of the media are left only to speculate about the future.

One hypothetical scenario is Lewis Hamilton reunited with his former McLaren nemesis at Ferrari, however unlikely some observers consider that to be.

But the British driver this week admitted it is a possibility, thanking the Spaniard for helping him “improve as a driver” as his teammate in 2007 and refusing to dismiss Ferrari as a future employer.

“We are talking about a fantastic team and you never know what could happen,” Hamilton told the Spanish sports newspaper AS.

And on Friday, the Telegraph’s Tom Cary published comments by Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali that indicated Hamilton’s affection for the famous Italian team is not a one-way street.

Asked if he has found Hamilton’s erratic behaviour this year a turn-off, Domenicali answered: “Not at all.

“I always state that in my view the top three drivers in the championship are Fernando, Lewis and Sebastian.  And from that point of view my attitude has not changed one bit.

“But I’m concentrating on my drivers at the moment.”

Domenicali admitted he admires Hamilton’s non-stop “attack mode”, for instance when the field is lined up behind the safety car in wet conditions and drivers are busily radioing the pits.

“It’s funny sometimes … you hear all the drivers saying ‘No way, I cannot see anything’ … and then you get Lewis and he is saying ‘No, no.  Let’s go for it’.  And for a driver to have this attitude is a great thing,” he said.

© RIF | GMM