, Ferrari president John Elkann pꦍersonally contacted✅ Hamilton over a move to the Scuderia.

Hamilton is out of contract with Mercedes at the end of F1 2023, and his future has been a hot t🐽opic throughout this season.

Earlier in the year, the Daily Mail reported that ▨Ferrari were offering £4🦹0 million to sign Hamilton.

Ferrari’s advances appear🌼 to be futile with Hamilton set to sign a new deal with Merceဣdes.

• ‘Even if Ferrari pay him double, Lewis Hamilton knows th🔯ings wไon’t go better’

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Vasseur addressed the🐎 Hamilton to Ferrari speculatio🎶n.

“I talk to him at every grand prix, he raced for me twenty years ago and we're st𓆉ill close,” he said. “I helped him when he went to McL♏aren at the start of his F1 career and we talk occasionally. 

“Clearly if they see us together in the paddock a fuss comes out. I don't want to compare him to our drivers, it wouldn't make sensಞe. But the contribution of a top driver isn't just driving, it's also technical, strategy, help in hiring an engineer. 

“And in this case, if you have Hamilton, [Max] Verstappen but also [Charles] Leclerc, it's easier. Anyone who works in F1 is passionate about racing, they like ﷽working with champions.”

It’s been a lacklustre 2023 campaign for Fer🌺rari, picking up just three podiums in the 💦first 12 races of the season.

Vasseur confirmed that wind tunnel d𒉰evelopment has stopped on the year’s car but they will introdu🐼ce upgrades in Qatar and Austin.

"For this season we stopped development in the wind tunnel at the end of July, but we have pieces already approved and in the works that we will take to Qatar or Austin,” he explain♚ed. “For the car for 2024, we are still at the philosophical concepts. 

"The numbers say that you have to be aggressive in the project but with simulations and equations we are already at the maximum. We have ❀to think differently, find margins thanks to which the drivers can drive without always being at the limit. 

“And in any caseꦓ, the dea🧸dline for the new car is not the end of the year. We have to be ready for Bahrain in March. We still have many months ahead of us."