Ferrari told Lewis Hamilton will quit immediately if rumour in Italy comes true

Ferrari have been told they could lose Lewis Hamilton if they follow through on potential plans being reported in the Italian press. The seven-time Formula 1 champion has been candid about his struggles in his first season with the team, which has yet to see him make it to a Grand Prix podium.

Hamilton has urged Ferrari to halt development on their current car and focus on the next season, despite finishing fourth at the recent British Grand Prix. However, Italian media suggest there may yet be significant changes at Maranello before the 2026 season.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur is feeling the heat after failing to provide Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with cars capable of challenging McLaren. Several Italian outlets, including prominent newspaper Corriere della Sera, have hinted that Vasseur's position is precarious.

La Gazzetta dello Sport also reports that technical director Loic Serra, who joined Ferrari alongside Hamilton from Mercedes, has not lived up to expectations and could depart along with Vasseur.

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There are strong indications that both could exit in a major reshuffle, with Christian Horner potentially poised to spearhead a rebuild following his dismissal from Red Bull. Team adviser Helmut Marko once said that Horner was on the verge of joining Ferrari in late 2022 before he stepped in, with chairman John Elkann being a big fan of the ousted team boss.

However, Will Buxton, former F1TV presenter and current lead FOX IndyCar commentator, thinks that a move from Horner to Ferrari could potentially force Hamilton out of the team.

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"If they replaced Fred with Christian Horner, I don't think Lewis would be a Ferrari driver for much longer," he stated on The Sports Agents podcast. Buxton also suggested that Alpine might be a more likely destination for Horner, given his close ties with Flavio Briatore, who runs the team in his capacity as adviser to the Renault board.

The idea of Horner moving to Ferrari has been deemed improbable, especially after Hamilton accused the ex-Red Bull chief of "stirring things" amidst speculation that Hamilton might join Max Verstappen at Milton Keynes-based outfit.

"I don't really know where that story has come from. I mean, I know it's come from Christian," Hamilton told Sky Sports during his time at Mercedes. "I don't really understand what he's been talking about because no one, as far as I'm aware, from my team has spoken to him. I haven't spoken to Christian really in years.

"However, he did reach out to me earlier on in the year about meeting up, but that's it. I just congratulated them on an amazing year and said, 'Hopefully soon, I'll be able to fight against you guys in the near future.' That was it. So I'm not really sure, I think he's just stirring things."