Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and ex-team owner Eddie Jordan have weighed in with contrasting opinions on Lewis Hamilton's future in the sport.
Ferrari are said to have prepared a £40m contract to try to tempt the Brit to quit Mercedes. His current deal with the Silver Arrows expires at the end of this season and there has been no breakthrough so far in talks over a renewal.
But former F1 chief executive Ecclestone does not believe the seven-time world champion will give great consideration to the Ferrari offer. Speaking to the Press Association, the 92-year-old expressed his doubt that the Italian team would consider letting go of Charles Leclerc in favour of Hamilton.
He said: "I would be surprised that Ferrari would want to get rid of Leclerc to sign Lewis because they are very much in love with Leclerc. Lewis has said that when he does decide to stop he would still want to be connected with Mercedes so it would surprise me if he wanted to leave. And if I was Lewis and I saw that Leclerc is happy to leave Ferrari, I would think there has to be a problem there.
"I also don't know why Lewis would think he would be better off at Ferrari than where he is at the moment. He knows everything well and truly at Mercedes. They know him, and they have a lot of respect for him so he couldn't be better looked after anywhere."
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But Jordan is not so sure about the situation. He believes Mercedes need Hamilton more than the Brit needs the Silver Arrows and suggested the sport would benefit from the 38-year-old making the move to Maranello.
"Formula 1 needs Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari and Ferrari needs Lewis Hamilton," the Irish former team owner told OLBG. "Hamilton should look to go to another Championship-winning team, but the drama is who is going to move aside?
Bernie Ecclestone backed Hamilton to stay at Mercedes (Kin Cheung/AP/REX/Shutterstock)"Red Bull would not let Sergio Perez go for Hamilton because they try to encourage drivers who have been through their teams to try and reach the top like Max Verstappen did. Hamilton is a McLaren man, but I can't see him going back there because of the position they're in.
"The only other places I see Hamilton going is Ferrari or staying at Mercedes. At the moment, there's no contract signed and Toto Wolff said if he was Hamilton he would consider leaving.
"What would I be thinking if I was Hamilton – am I really loved here? What is actually happening at Mercedes? I'm not in the thick of things like I used to be. I don't know Wolff's point of view on the situation but I believe when he says he wants Hamilton to stay. But Mercedes is not good enough for Hamilton."
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