Lewis Hamilton won’t rule out shock Ferrari switch after revealing fans are begging him to ditch Mercedes to join the Italian team

LEWIS HAMILTON says Ferrari fans are begging him to join the Italian team to help bring back the glory days.

The five-time world champion, who is on track to win a sixth title as early as the Japanese Grand Prix, says he is happy at Mercedes, where he has a contract until the end of 2020.

Hamilton was frequently booed on the podium here at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in the past.

However, the 34 year-old has not ruled out one day driving for Ferrari before the end of his career after receiving plenty of support from the team’s Tifosi.

He said: “I’ve come here and made the weekend not so great for Ferrari fans by having a Mercedes on the top step of the podium.

“But I appreciate and respect them a huge amount. In actual fact, when I come now, a lot of Ferrari fans ask me to come to Ferrari.

“It’s quite cool, and I get a lot of messages from Ferrari fans who say ‘I’m a Ferrari fan, but I respect you’.

“I think it’s growing slowly, bit by bit. It will never be the same as if I was driving for a Ferrari team. But it’s shifted.

“I have no idea why they want me to join Ferrari, and I wasn’t expecting it. I definitely wasn’t expecting it.

“With them not having won a championship since 2007, there is this yearning to succeed and I am sure they are just relating it to the fact I have won the drivers’ championship for the last few years.

“But more and more I am having Ferrari fans message me saying ‘I’m a Ferrari fan but I respect you a lot’.

“Things shift. But they have got two great drivers there now, so I’m sure they are happy with their new young star and I am super happy to see how he progresses.”

RED ROUTE?

Hamilton was quizzed as to whether he would consider swapping the Silver Arrows for the Ferrari red.

There has been a constant theory in the paddock that he will end his career with Ferrari.

And he again stopped short of ruling out the move to the Maranello-based team, who are failing to reach their current potential.

He added: “I don’t know if it’s about being tempted. I think if it’s about whether it’s part of the game plan.

“I was asked how I would you if I ended my career without being at Ferrari, and honestly, when you’re part of Mercedes, you’re part of a family for a lifetime.

“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 could potentially be an option.”

VETTEL WORRY

Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel says F1 safety needs to be improved after Anthoine Hubert died in a crash last weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Vettel will meet with FIA chiefs and fellow F1 drivers tonight in Monza in their regular pre-race briefing where he is set to press for a full investigation into the fatal accident.

He added: “I still think there’s things we can do better and improve. Some people think Formula One is too safe and too boring.

“But I would rather have boring Formula One championships forever and bring Anthoine back.

“To some extent the danger is part of motor racing – it’s part of the thrill – but obviously the last few years have been a wake-up with the passing of Jules Bianchi and now Anthoine. What happened couldn’t be any worse.

“It will be examined in a very detailed way, which is correct and what everyone would expect, but to draw any conclusions now is probably not right, we need to have a full picture of a lot of elements.

“I’m a fan of holding races in Spa because it’s a great track which has a great history and a lot of the corners are unique.

“But for sure after what happened we need to have a very close look and take some time to understand exactly what happened.”