Lewis Hamilton should only go to Ferrari if they almost DOUBLE his salary in mammoth offer claims F1 expert

LEWIS HAMILTON should not move to Ferrari unless they DOUBLE his salary.

That is the view of Formula One expert Peter Windsor.

Getty Images – GettyLewis Hamilton has been told not to head to Ferrari unless they DOUBLE his salary[/caption]

GettyThe F1 driver is out of contract at the end of the season[/caption]

Seven-time world champion Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the season, sparking rumours he could leave Mercedes.

Ferrari have been earmarked as his next destination, with the Mail reporting there has been “close contact” between Hamilton and Scuderia president John Elkann.

Hamilton, 38, reportedly earns a whopping £45million-a-year with the Brackley-based constructor, making him one of the highest-paid drivers on the grid.

The Mail’s report adds Ferrari and Mercedes have the financial muscle to offer similar packages at around £40m, helped by drivers falling outside of F1‘s new budget cap.

However, Windsor – an award-winning F1 journalist and former manager at both Williams and Ferrari – believes the Brit should only take Ferrari’s offer if the terms are DOUBLED.

Speaking on a YouTube live stream, he said: “I’ve seen a few numbers bandied around. One was £40m.

“If I was Lewis Hamilton, I’d be going for a lot more than £40m because you could argue that Lewis, with the Ferrari brand and what he could do for the Ferrari brand, should be thinking in terms of at least £50m just for PR and brand turnaround.

“And then how much is he worth as a driver, as a pure race driver? You’d have to say £25-30m.

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GettyPeter Windsor believes a Hamilton-Ferrari deal should be worth at least £80million[/caption]

“£40m? I would say about £80m would be more logical. And if they’re not going to pay that sort of money, I don’t think he should do it.”

In terms of performance, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been irrepressible in earning race wins this season, with Verstappen winning four – including the Monaco Grand Prix – and Perez two.

As a result, race wins have been hard to come by. Though Hamilton has managed to squeeze one podium in so far this season and he is yet to finish below P6.

However, Mercedes will be hoping their fortunes will change quickly after implementing £1m worth of upgrades.

Meanwhile, despite strong one-lap pace, Ferrari have also claimed just a single podium spot through Charles Leclerc – who hinted Hamilton was his ideal team-mate.

Windsor continued: “I think he should stay at Mercedes and look for some long-term deal at Mercedes and continue.

“Because what you don’t want to do if you’re Lewis Hamilton is leave Mercedes just as they’re going to be competitive because the odds are, having been uncompetitive for so long, that a team that big and that good will eventually find a way.

“That’s another issue for Lewis, so he may well stay where he is and it could be the money that decides it.

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“If I was managing Lewis and it was £40m, I’d say: ‘Nah, stay where you are.’

“Ferrari [is a] huge brand for Lewis Hamilton to put his name to. Massive. And that’s [worth] a lot more than a £40m deal in my view.”

He then added: “If Lewis is going to Ferrari, it’s such a big unknown in terms of how competitive that car would be that, if I was Lewis, I wouldn’t go for less than £80m.

“I did say £100m to a mate the other day and he said: ‘That’s a bit much, isn’t it?’ I said: ‘OK, let’s bring it down to £80m…’

“But £40m? You’ve got to be joking. If he does it for £40m, hats off to him because it means he’s just doing it for the love of the sport.

“I’m not decrying the enormity of £40m, but I’m just saying for that he might as well stay at Mercedes really.”

The Spanish GP is up next for Hamilton and Co.

Before Verstappen won last year’s race, Hamilton had won five in a row around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

This year will see the track’s controversial third sector chicane cut and replaced with a fast and winding right-hander before the final straight.

It is the first time the layout will have been used in F1 since 2007.