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FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 18, 2023--

Lewis Hamilton is reportedly set to be offered £40m to make a shock switch to Ferrari next year. The 38-year-old, who has won six of his seven world titles at Mercedes since joining the Silver Arrows in 2013, is currently stalling on extending his current contract which expires at the end of the season. While both Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insist a new deal will be agreed, Ferrari now look poised to enter the race for the seven-time world champion with a lucrative offer. According to the Daily Mail, the Scuderia are prepared to offer £40m-a-year to land Hamilton – with president John Elkann already in close contact with the Brit and his team. The report adds that one possible scenario is for Hamilton to replace current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, in what would amount to a straight-swap deal with the Monegasque joining Mercedes to partner George Russell. The other, more favourable, option is to pair Hamilton with Leclerc, meaning Ferrari would look to offload Spanish driver Carlos Sainz. With Hamilton’s current contract close to the £40m-a-year mark anyway, money would not be the predominant factor in his decision-making. Instead, the competitiveness of both cars compared to current runaway leaders Red Bull would be of greater significance, as Hamilton targets a record-breaking eighth world championship in his final years in the sport. While Mercedes, the dominant team in the hybrid era from 2014-2021 with eight-straight constructors’ crowns, took a backwards step in 2022, Ferrari burst to the front of the field with a potential championship-winning car. Leclerc’s challenge was foiled by reliability problems and strategic errors, as well as a few mistakes himself, and Ferrari have struggled at the start of this year too despite Fred Vasseur replacing Mattia Binotto as team boss. Mercedes are poised to bring new upgrades to this week’s race in Monaco – with a new floor, sidepod design and front suspension in the works. The modifications were set to come in at Imola last week before the race was cancelled due to flooding in the Emilia Romagna region. Whether Mercedes can haul in the deficit to Red Bull out in front – by 128 points in the constructors’ standings – this season remains very unlikely, but Hamilton will want to be encouraged that his team are taking a positive step before signing a new contract. Hamilton has been linked with Ferrari in the past, particularly surrounding contract negotiations in 2019, but stated at the time there were “things that don’t mirror my values and approach.” "The Ferrari thing is not going to happen, I think," he said then. "I’ve always been positive about Ferrari. I watched Michael win there. I’ve always been a Ferrari fan. I remember one of the first cars I ever bought was a Ferrari. And I think it’s a hugely iconic team and brand, particularly. "I think the team has, in my period of time. There have been things I’ve seen that I don’t necessarily feel mirror my values and my approach. However, it is a team that every driver, I think, has dreamed of what it would be like to sit in the red cockpit. Hamilton has not won a grand prix since December 2021, in Saudi Arabia, and a race later missed out on a record-breaking eighth crown in controversial and dramatic circumstances in Abu Dhabi to Max Verstappen. Currently, Hamilton is level in the all-time leaderboard on seven F1 world titles with Ferrari icon Michael Schumacher. Hamilton could, possibly, also be swayed by the fact that hero Ayrton Senna was poised to join Ferrari in 1995 before his fatal crash at Imola in May 1994. Red Bull is not seen as a realistic option for Hamilton, with Christian Horner saying as much in April, while Aston Martin are content with their current driver pairing of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Hamilton currently trails championship leader Verstappen in the standings this season by 63 points after just five races. Read More Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the biggest losers from Imola Grand Prix cancellation Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 F1 title still under threat as Felipe Massa bemoans ‘injustice’ Where are Mercedes and Ferrari? Frankly, you don’t want to hear the answer ‘Nasty piece of work’: Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes slammed by Toto Wolff Lewis Hamilton and George Russell ‘pray’ for Imola as they urge people to ‘stay safe’ during floods

The United States moved on Tuesday to punish companies accused of doing business with the infamous Russian mercenary army known as the Wagner Group, following the group’s insurrection attempt within Russia’s borders. The move is not thought to be specifically related to the coup, however, instead being a response to Wagner’s participation in some of the bloodiest fighting taking place within Ukraine, where Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion last year. A statement from the Treasury Department faulted companies in Africa and the Middle East for participating in a gold-selling scheme in violation of US sanctions to fund the Wagner Group’s ongoing activities. One executive at Wagner, Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, was also slapped with individual sanctions on his financial dealings. “The targeted entities in the Central African Republic (CAR), United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Russia have engaged in illicit gold dealings to fund the Wagner Group to sustain and expand its armed forces, including in Ukraine and Africa, while the targeted individual has been central to activities of Wagner Group units in Mali,” reads Treasury’s press release. The companies are even accused of working with rebel militant groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of the operation. Consequently, an inter-agency task force has issued an advisory highlighting risks for participants in the African gold trade. “Treasury’s sanctions disrupt key actors in the Wagner Group’s financial network and international structure,” added Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson in a statement. “The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali. The United States will continue to target the Wagner Group’s revenue streams to degrade its expansion and violence in Africa, Ukraine, and anywhere else,” he said. Wagner Group’s prominence exploded over the weekend after the mercenary soldiers ripped through Russia and seized control of a major city, Rostov, where much of the country’s defence sector is centred. The lightning-fast coup ended as quickly as it began, with leader Yevgeny Prigozhin apparently accepting a deal negotiated by the president of Belarus which saw him exiled to that country. In exchange, participants in the insurrection were granted immunity deals — and other, unknown concessions were thought by many to have been extended to Mr Prigozhin as well. It’s unclear what the insurrection means for the future of Wagner, however, given Mr Prigozhin’s apparent banishment and the souring of his ties with Russia’s leader. Many of the private army’s troops are still deployed in Ukraine, where they are engaged in some of the fiercest combat taking place across the country’s southeast. Read More UN urges Israel and Palestinians to halt West Bank violence in statement backed by US and Russia Fox News host suggests White House ‘drummed up’ Russia coup to distract from Hunter Biden Wagner chief walks free after armed revolt. Other Russians defying the Kremlin aren’t so lucky NATO warns not to underestimate Russian forces, and tells Moscow it has increased preparedness Putin admits Moscow paid Wagner mercenaries £800m in wages in a year – and that his forces ‘stopped civil war’ Pope's peace envoy arrives in Moscow after the short-lived Wagner rebellion