06/09/2019
NEWS STORY
On route to a fifth title with Mercedes, it is easy to forget Lewis Hamilton's long relationship with McLaren, the team that nurtured the Briton as a youngster and brought him into F1. The team that guided him to his first title, and promised him a supercar should he win two more at the wheel of one of its cars.
A few years down the line and the Briton has added four more titles to his tally, and en route to a fifth, albeit as a member of the Silver Arrows, Mercedes having been McLaren's engine partner when he entered F1, and therefore having powered him to all his success.
As the circus arrives in Monza, spiritual home of Ferrari however, Hamilton was asked if he would ever be tempted to move to the red team.
"I don't know if it's about being tempted," he replied. "I think if it's about whether it's part of the game plan.
"I was asked the question upstairs, 'how would you feel if you ended your career without being at Ferrari'," he continued, "and honestly, when you're part of Mercedes, you're part of a family for a lifetime, provided you stay with them obviously.
"If you look at Stirling Moss, even Fangio is still honoured within the family. You're part of their history, and they look after you for the rest of your life. That is important to me. Loyalty is a very, very key part.
"But if there's a point in my life where there's something I want to change, then that [Ferrari] could potentially be an option. I don't know if that is at the moment though."
Aware that drivers for rival teams often take a certain amount of stick when racing on Ferrari's home turf, the Briton said he has many fans in Italy.
"I'm very lucky that I do have a good Italian following," he said. "I think Germany is maybe the biggest area where my clothes sell but Italy is one of the bigger areas. Maybe it's because they are really into fashion and like good clothes.
"I think it's grown over the years but it takes a long time to shift perception, you still come here and stand on top of the podium and ninety percent is all Ferrari fans.
"A lot of Ferrari fans ask me to come to Ferrari. And I get a lot of messages from Ferrari fans who say 'I am a Ferrari fan but I respect you'. I think it's growing slowly, but it will never be the same as if I was driving for Ferrari."