Lewis Hamilton has confirmed he talked to Ferrari about a Formula 1 seat but explained why they failed.
It was almost exactly a year ago in Abu Dhabi that speculation began to link the now seven-time world champion to the Scuderia in 2021, this after it emerged Hamilton had met with Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
Ultimately, nothing came from it, with Carlos Sainz eventually chosen to replace the Aston Martin-bound Sebastian Vettel.
And asked about that the possibility of racing for Ferrari, Hamilton admits there was never a time when it was a realistic prospect.
“We talked on occasion but we didn’t go beyond understanding what options were on the table and they weren’t the right ones,” he told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.
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“Our positions have never aligned. I think timing matters and things happen in the end for a reason.
“In recent seasons, my contract always expired in years different from those of all the other drivers. In the end, that’s how it went.”
While the marketability of a Hamilton/Ferrari partnership would be huge, questions were also raised as to whether the Briton would be compatible with the environment at Maranello.
And this is something Lewis alluded to when he spoke about the importance of being able to express himself at Mercedes, compared to the controlled corporate nature of McLaren.
“At McLaren, I grew a lot but they had certain expectations about how a driver should behave and they contrasted with the fact that I’ve always been an outsider, a non-conformist,” he said.
“Before signing with Mercedes I said: ‘I’m different from others. Let me be myself, let me experience [things] because I have to find out who I am.
“In any case, I help you and make the brand grow in the world of young people in a better way’ and that’s what happened.”
Ultimately, much like his hero Ayrton Senna, F1 will only have to imagine what it would have been like to see Hamilton race in red.