Last update:07 November 2024, 1:56 p.m. IST

Hamilton later told Sky Sports F1 that instead of competing in the final three events of the year, he “could happily go on holiday”.

Lewis Hamilton, British Mercedes driver (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari next year, but rumors that the seven-time Formula 1 champion will leave Mercedes before the end of the current season have reportedly been denied by Mercedes.

Rumors that Hamilton would immediately part ways with his current team arose after his poor performance last week in Brazil, where he placed 11th in the sprint on Saturday and 10th at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday.

After the latter event, Hamilton told his team on the radio: “It was a disastrous weekend, guys. The worst the car has ever been. Thanks for contributing to the test and great work from all the guys at the pit stop.

“If this is the last time I play, it’s a shame it’s not great but (I’m) grateful.”

Hamilton later told Sky Sports F1 that instead of competing in the final three events of the year, he “could happily go on holiday”.

However, several media outlets reported on Wednesday that Mercedes had confirmed that Hamilton would remain behind the wheel in Las Vegas on November 24; Lusail, Qatar, December 1; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 8.

Hamilton, 39, is seventh in this year’s F1 drivers’ standings, while Mercedes is fourth in the constructors’ standings. He has two victories this year, at the British Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, the 104th and 105th victories of his career.

His series championships came in 2008, 2014, 2015, and then four times in a row from 2017 to 2020.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)