"I am a Ferrari fan" - Lewis Hamilton would 'support' Charles Leclerc if he was an F1 fan and not a driver

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that if he weren't a driver on the F1 grid, the Briton would back Ferrari and Charles Leclerc in the World Championship battle in 2022.

The 37-year-old has not been as dominant as he would have liked, as Mercedes continue to search for solutions to their struggles under F1 new regulations.

Speaking in an interview with Italian publication Corriere della Sera, Lewis Hamilton shared his thoughts on the title fight in progress between Leclerc and the defending world champion, Max Verstappen. The Mercedes man said:

“[Charles] Leclerc is very strong, you could always see that. I would say one thing: if I could sit down with the fans on the bleachers over there, I would support Charles. I am a Ferrari fan.”

Hamilton, however, did rule out the possibility of him ever driving for the Prancing Horse and likened himself to legendary Silver Arrows driver, Sir Stirling Moss. The seven-time world champion added, saying:

“Of course, it would have been nice to race for Ferrari during my career, but things happen for specific reasons. Mercedes is my family, I will always be a Mercedes driver, like Stirling Moss was.”

The Briton has previously said something similar on Sky Sports as well in 2021 while discussing a possible link between him and the Scuderia. Back then, Hamilton said:

“For everyone that’s a dream position to be in. It was just never really fully on the cards for me. I’ll never know fully exactly why, but I wish them all the best and I’m going to spend the next bit of my time stopping them from winning the championship!”

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"It's too early to say" - Lewis Hamilton unsure of his chances of battling for 2022 championship with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton believes it is too early for him to confirm the resurrection of his title charge in the ongoing 2022 F1 season.

Hamilton and Mercedes have been off the pace set at the front of the grid by the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull.

With only one podium finish to his name thus far in the calendar year, his chances of taking the fight to Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, and the other frontrunners look slim.

When asked if he had any idea about when his fortunes might turn ahead of the 2022 F1 Monaco GP, the Briton said:

“I don’t know. It’s too early to say. I think honestly, we know that there’s potential in the car and I think we tapped into it in the last race. So, I’m really hoping this… I mean, this is a completely different track, so I’m hoping that is not up and down from weekend-in, weekend-out from now on. But my guess is as good as yours.”

Lewis Hamilton is currently sixth in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 50 points after seven rounds of racing. His teammate George Russell is two spots ahead in P4 with 84 points.