Top 3 craziest F1 Silly Season rumors that made no sense

F1 is currently in the mid-season break which is also referred to as the 'Silly Season' because of the movements in the drivers market.

Most of the teams make changes to their lineups on the track and sometimes off the track usually during the mid-season break, which causes ripples throughout the paddock. They also get into negotiations with several drivers on the grid who are out of contract and those who would be open to switching teams for the upcoming season.

It is called the silly season because sometimes, the changes made in the drivers market catch everyone off guard or make no sense. Here are some examples of the craziest rumors in the silly season:

Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari F1

The seven-time world champion has been a permanent feature in the Mercedes AMG F1 team for a decade now but that does not stop some reports to circulate about him joining other teams. Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton have been a match that has been talked about for over a decade and every time the Briton is out of contract with the German team, he gets linked with the Prancing Horses.

It happened earlier this season when it was reported that Hamilton might be joining the iconic Italian team in place of Charles Leclerc for a whopping £40 million. Though it did not transpire one bit as the 38-year-old is close to signing a contract extension with Mercedes.

Michael Schumacher to Ferrari

In mid-2009, it was heavily rumored that Michael Schumacher might come out of retirement to help his former team finish the 2009 season after Felipe Massa got injured in Hungary. The former seven-time world champion, who had five titles with Ferrari, retired from the sport in 2006 and was on the verge of replacing Massa.

Although Schumacher was considering a comeback and wanted to see if he was able to compete again, it would have been a risky move on both ends, as the German had been out of the sport for quite some time and would have returned in a mediocre car. Ferrari, on the other hand, would be getting a 40-year-old driver who had not driven at the highest level for around three years.

However, he suffered a neck injury while training for his return and never got the chance to drive for the Italian team in the 2009 season, with the team eventually turning to Giancarlo Fischella.

Kimi Raikkonen to Red Bull

The 2007 world champion was heavily rumored to be joining the Red Bull F1 team in the 2013 season, replacing the then-incumbent Mark Webber. The Finnish driver had impressed everyone with his performances in the 2012 season with the Lotus Renault F1 team, where he finished P3 in the championship.

But the reports of him joining Red Bull to partner Sebastian Vettel turned out to be untrue as Webber kept his seat for the 2013 season. Despite Raikkonen's success in 2012, Webber and Vettel led the Austrian team to three consecutive titles. Hence, replacing that combination may have been ill-advised.