As per his ongoing contract with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is earning a $55 million annual salary. That contract, which is set to expire at the end of this season, makes him the highest-paid driver in F1, even above reigning champion Max Verstappen. Speculations are, however, running amok over a $49 million offer from Ferrari. A former F1 team boss has found the alleged offer to be much lower than his expectations and has urged the Briton to use his stature to push for a contract double that amount.

Ever since the start of the ground-effect regulations era, Mercedes hasn’t performed at the highest level it used to. Currently, at 38, the Briton does not have a lot of time left in F1, and winning the 8th world title is his biggest priority. As hopes of winning it in the near future with his current team fade away, a move elsewhere looks like the only choice.

$49 million offer dubbed too low for Lewis Hamilton

The Monaco GP, after a lot of waiting, is finally upon us. However, the biggest talking point in the town is Ferrari’s alleged 40 million Euro ($49 million) offer to Hamilton. From Frederic Vasseur to Charles Leclerc, everyone has answered questions relating to Hamilton’s possible Ferrari move. Peter Windsor took to his YouTube channel to give his two cents on the matter.

In one of his YouTube lives, Windsor said, “I’ve seen a few numbers banded around. I thought one was 40 million (Euros). If I was Lewis Hamilton, I’ve been going for a lot more than 40 million. Because you could argue Lewis, with the Ferrari brand and what he could do for the Ferrari brand, he should be thinking in terms of at least 50 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 25-30. I’m 40? I would say about 80 ($98 million) would be more logical. And if they’re not going to pay him that sort of money, I don’t think he should do it. I think he should stay at Mercedes and look for some long-tern deal at Mercedes.”

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Amidst all the rumors, Hamilton has maintained that he plans on remaining loyal to Mercedes. Ferrari’s boss too denied floating any offer to poach the Briton.

Frederic Vasseur categorically denies making an offer to Hamilton

Despite his ongoing slump, Hamilton remains one of the hottest properties in F1. Nobody can deny his abilities behind the wheel of a car that is capable of challenging for a championship win. However, Ferrari boss, Frederic Vasseur, is happy with the lineup that he has as of now.

As quoted by Crash, Vasseur recently 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.”

“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.”

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Do you think the Ferrari’s offer is nothing but a baseless rumor? Or is the Maranello-based team cooking something in the background?