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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 DECEMBER 2019 20 FORMULA 1 SPORTS ALL the key questions regard- ing Lewis Hamilton's potential move from Mercedes to Ferrari as well as quotes from the For- mula One legend himself. An Italian media report claimed the six-time world champion has met with Ferrari chairman John Elkann on two occasions this year. Team prin- ciple Mattia Binotto also de- scribed him as an "outstanding driver" and that his potential availability could "only make Ferrari happy". Hamilton, who turns 35 next month, was pressed on the speculation in the moments af- ter he rounded off his champi- onship-winning campaign with an 11th win of the season here in Abu Dhabi, while Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted there is a 25% chance his prized driver could switch. The British driver is a free agent in 2021, with his current £40million-a-season Mercedes deal due to expire at the end of next year. Here we look at what Hamilton has said on the matter this weekend, quotes from Wolff and some other key questions we try to answer. Lewis Hamilton on a move After winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: "Naturally, eve- rything that happens behind closed doors is always private with whoever you end up sit- ting with. For many years I have never ever sat down and considered other options be- cause we have been driving straight ahead on to the path and journey we have been on. "We are still on that path and there is very little that is going to shift that. I love where I am so it is definitely not a quick de- cision to do something else. "But it is only smart and wise for me to sit and think of what I want if it is the last stage of my career. I want to keep winning. I cannot tell you what is going to happen moving forward." After taking pole position 24 hours earlier: "It is the first compliment I have had from Ferrari in 13 years. I don't re- member them ever mentioning me before. It has taken all these years for them to recognise me, but I am grateful. It is positive and it is never a waste of time to be nice to someone. It is a team that I have always appre- ciated over the years. "To earn the respect from someone that is high up at Fer- rari is not a bad thing. They have got two great drivers so who knows what the market is going to be doing over the next year." What has Toto Wolff said? After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: "I hope that our relation- ship continues but, equally, there is a 25 per cent chance we are not in control of. We will see how the next months pan out. We have not given ourselves a date, but we come back at the end of January, start of February and define the schedule as to when we want to discuss the future. "A sports team is not static. It is dynamic. That means there is always going to be change, and change can provide oppor- tunity. If one important mem- ber of the team breaks out, that provides risk, but also an op- portunity at the same time." After qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: "I am totally OK with that. It is a free world and I recognise that everybody needs to explore career options and make the best decision for themselves. A racing driver wants to be in the quickest car, and the quickest car wants the best racing driver in it. So, we żvide that. "If we can do this, I am 100 per cent convinced we will have the best driver line-up. I am absolutely open for every- body to explore. My priority would be to continue this suc- cessful journey. But if that ends one day, I would be the first to cheer for him." żwhat about the existing Ferrari drivers? Should Hamilton make the switch, then it's 32-year-old Sebastian Vettel who would surely have to make way. Ham- ilton's long-time rival finished down in fifth in the 2019 F1 Drivers' Championship, and while he won the Singapore Grand Prix along with five sil- ver medals, it was a disappoint- ing finish with a retirement in the USA, 17th in Brazil and fifth in Abu Dhabi. Ultimately, Vettel's younger team-mate, Charles Leclerc, appears to be the future of Fer- rari - and he hasn't shied away from declaring his desire to drive alongside the sport's top dog. "Of course I would welcome Lewis," said Leclerc, who fin- ished third at Sunday's season- concluding race in the desert. "We are in Formula One and we want to fight against the best. "I have had a big opportunity to have had Seb next to me who is a four-time world champion and I have learnt a lot from him so you can always learn from these types of champions." Do Ferrari want Hamilton? In Abu Dhabi, Ferrari admit- ted for the first time that they want to sign Lewis Hamilton. Fluttering his eyelashes at Brit- ain's six-time world champion, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto described Hamilton as an outstanding driver. He added that he was happy Ham- ilton's £40million-a-year Mer- cedes deal is up for renewal in 12 months. Ferrari, Formula One's most successful team, are desperate to end a drivers' title drought which stretches back to 2007 and, seemingly having lost patience with Se- bastian Vettel, Hamilton has been earmarked as the man who can deliver that elusive championship. Would Hamilton want to go there? Hamilton has made no secret of his admiration for the Ital- ian giants, and in Abu Dhabi he did little to shut down talk of a move. Indeed, Hamilton refused to deny a report which claimed he had met with Ferra- ri chairman John Elkann twice this year. He also admitted he was flattered by Ferrari's very public interest. Hamilton owes much to Mercedes, having won five of his six world champion- ships there since he ditched McLaren in 2012, but the lure of ending his career with the prestigious Scuderia could prove difficult to resist. Are Mercedes open to letting Hamilton leave? Perhaps the most startling revelation in Abu Dhabi was Toto Wolff's admission that he believes there is now a 25 per cent chance Hamilton will join Ferrari. Equally as telling was Wolff's admission that he would not stand in the Briton's way. Publicly, Mercedes say they want to keep their star driver, but there is no question that they have one eye on the future, too. Hamilton will be 36 in 2021, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen, also out of con- tract at the end of next year, is 12 years Hamilton's junior. Allowing Hamilton to leave would clear the way for Mer- cedes to sign the hugely talent- ed Dutch star. Lewis Hamilton future: Will the Mercedes star switch to Ferrari? PHOTO: WARREN SAMMUT Could Lewis Hamilton bid farewell to Mercedes?