Fred Vasseur insists Ferrari have not offered F1 contract to Lewis Hamilton but ‘every team would want him’

Ferrari F1 boss Fred Vasseur has rubbished reports that his team have made made a contract offer to try and sign Lewis Hamilton.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that Ferrari were preparing a staggering £40m contract offer to try and lure seven-time world champion Hamilton away from Mercedes.

Hamilton’s current deal runs out at the end of the season and with no extension finalised as yet, speculation has been rife over where the 38-year-old’s future lies.

But speaking ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal Vasseur shut down the rumours.

“As a joke I could say that two weeks ago you were sending Sainz to Audi, one week ago you sent Leclerc to Mercedes – now I am alone,” Vasseur said. 

“You know perfectly that at this stage of the season each week you will have a different story and we are not sending an offer to Lewis Hamilton, we didn’t do it. We didn’t have discussions.

Vasseur, who worked with Hamilton during his title-winning GP2 campaign in 2006, admitted every team on the grid would be interested in the Briton’s services.

“I think every single team on the grid would like to have Hamilton at one stage, it would be bull**** to not say something like this,” he added. 

“If I discuss with Hamilton, the last 20 years I discussed almost every single weekend with Hamilton, I don’t want to have to stop to discuss with him because you are chasing me.”