Lewis Hamilton should join Ferrari in 2021, says Martin Brundle

Decision: Lewis Hamilton will be out of contract at the end of the 2020 season
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Joe Krishnan9 March 2020

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton should try to emulate Michael Schumacher's by making a sensational switch to Ferrari in 2021, according to Martin Brundle.

The 35-year-old heads into the 2020 season entering the final year of his contract with the Silver Arrows, having enjoyed arguably the most successful period of any driver in F1, winning five titles in his six seasons with the German team.

If Hamilton were to retain the championship for a fourth consecutive year, he would equal Schumacher's record haul of seven titles - a feat no other driver has come close to matching.

The Briton has previously conceded he would consider driving for the Scuderia due to his affection for the team in his childhood and held talks with Ferrari chairman John Elkann back in December.

However, Mercedes are keen to tie their star driver down to a new contract and ward off interest from rival teams with a new deal worth a reported £180 million.

But former driver Brundle, an expert for Sky Sports F1 for the upcoming season, is excited by the prospect of Hamilton eclipsing Schumacher while driving for Ferrari, the team where the German dominated for several years.

Hamilton has been testing Mercedes' new W11 car in Barcelona  Photo: AFP
AFP via Getty Images

"I hope he does go to Ferrari because that would be a great story," Brundle told Standard Sport.

"To go and do a Michael Schumacher and win a championship with three different teams, that would be impressive."

Ferrari face a decision over the future of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, coupled with the emergence of Charles Leclerc as a potential number one in the team, as they bid to win their first championship since Kimi Raikkonen's triumph in 2007.

And Brundle accepts that Hamilton, who stunned the world of racing when he left McLaren to join Mercedes in 2013, may be reluctant to leave when his long-term future is guaranteed with the constructors' holders.

"I asked him this question the other day and he said ‘I’ve got red in my crash helmet, red’s one of my favourite colours’ but he’s got his feet under the table at Mercedes," he added.

In Pictures | F1 Final Day Winter Testing 2020

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"They're probably the best team, paying him a shedload of money and he can be a Mercedes ambassador for the rest of his days. You've got to think long and hard before you walk away from all of that really just to change the colour of your team.

"We'll see what Ferrari do this year but, do they look like they've got the might of the current Mercedes team? I don't know. We don't know where Mercedes are heading in the future so let's wait and see.

Vettel could play a key part as to whether Ferrari move for Hamilton or not  Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

"If I had my driver's manager cap on, I'd be telling him 'You're not going anywhere, son, you're staying here'. But as a fan, I'm feeling like 'get to Ferrari, give us something to really look forward to'."

The new season is due to get under way at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne between March 13-15.

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