Vasseur keeps Hamilton Ferrari extension talk private amid 2027 option reports

Vasseur shuts down public Hamilton contract talk

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has made clear that any discussion over Lewis Hamilton’s future with the team will be handled directly with the driver, rather than played out in public, following reports in Italy that Hamilton is preparing to activate an option to remain at Ferrari for another Formula 1 season.

Asked ahead of last weekend’s British Grand Prix whether talks over a new deal had begun, Vasseur gave a firm response to Motorsport Week and other media outlets: “Who spoke about the extension? I will discuss with him for the extension, not everybody.”

Hamilton’s Ferrari turnaround gathers weight

The timing of the speculation is significant because Hamilton’s second season at Ferrari has already carried a very different tone from his difficult first campaign in red. After joining the Italian-based team in 2025, he endured a nightmarish opening year, failing to record a top-three finish for the first time in his career and managing only a sprint victory in China.

That picture has since shifted. Hamilton is now a Ferrari Grand Prix winner after taking victory in Barcelona in mid-June, and that result forms part of a stronger run that has brought him five podiums with the Scuderia. For a driver whose first Ferrari season raised major questions, the improvement has inevitably sharpened attention around the length of his stay.

For related coverage of Hamilton’s ongoing season, see our report on Hamilton’s expectations around Mercedes power unit penalties, part of the wider context surrounding his current Formula 1 campaign.

2027 would carry major career significance

Hamilton has also publicly indicated that he does not see his Formula 1 career ending soon. Speaking earlier this year at the Canadian Grand Prix, he said: “I still love what I do with all my heart and I’m going to be here for quite some time, so get used to it.”

If Hamilton remains with Ferrari into 2027, it would mark his 20th year since making his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 2007. That first season saw him narrowly miss out on the championship before he claimed the first of his seven titles one year later.

For now, Ferrari’s official line is restrained: Hamilton is under contract, Vasseur is not ready to discuss an extension publicly, and any decision on 2027 will be handled between team and driver.