Against the odds, Leclerc was left unpunished after the race, with the team copping an inconsequential €50,000 fine for the offence. Then to add to the embarrassment, the Monegasque raced under a cloud of potential disqualification after Ferrari’s claim of how much fuel Leclerc was running didn’t match the level measured by the race officials. In Abu Dhabi on Saturday, the team mis-timed Charles Leclerc’s bid for a final qualifying run, leaving him little chance to cross the line before the chequered flag fell. Then again, any temptation must surely be diluted by the mess Ferrari has made of this past season, even with a car that was for a time the quickest on the grid. Hamilton at Ferrari? We wouldn’t put money on it – but stranger things have happened.
Then again, this is Ferrari we are talking about – and like so many greats of the past, he might not be able to resist the lure of that old scarlet magic. In truth, it seems unlikely Hamilton would give up all he has invested in since leaving McLaren for Mercedes in 2013. Then the man himself refused to rule out such a move. The flirting increased when team principal Mattia Binotto openly admitted in a press conference that he could only be “happy” Hamilton is currently contract-free for 2021. Now Hamilton is surely within range of equalling and beating it during 2020.īut will Lewis, 35 in January, continue to shine in silver beyond next season, or will he turn to the red side? That was the hot talking point of the weekend, after the Italian press reported two meetings have taken place this year between the British driver and Ferrari chairman John Elkann. That’s just seven short of Michael Schumacher’s record of 91, a mark we used to think would forever be out of reach. The victory was his 11 th out of 21 races and moved his career tally on to 84. Around Yas Marina, he was simply untouchable. But while Lewis Hamilton’s pole position was ‘only’ his fifth of the campaign to draw him level with team-mate Valtteri Bottas for the season, his performance the following day reminded the world that the six-time world champion has raced in another stratosphere this season. Even the man himself has admitted his season has lacked the “wow” laps that have marked him out in the past.
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