Hamilton facing 'inevitable' as Mercedes exit looms

Lewis Hamilton has asserted he understands the “inevitable” prospect of being frozen out of Mercedes' engineering meetings later this year.

Hamilton confirmed prior to the start of the current Formula 1 campaign he would leave the Brackley-based squad at the end of the season.

In one of the most dramatic driver moves in F1 history, the seven-time world champion will link up with Ferrari in 2025.

A common practice for teams who have a driver departing for a rival squad is to stop their attendance at engineering meetings, particularly when they are focused on the car for the following campaign.

Hamilton has detailed he has not yet been denied access to such meetings at Mercedes.

“I haven't been excluded from any meetings,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. 

“We're still working on this car and trying to get the car to the front. It's still very collaborative, I've been here a long time.

“So if there's a point where they're like, 'we'd prefer you not to be in this meeting', that's totally fine with me.”

Hamilton not in communication with Ferrari

Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari next year is set to see him reunited with Frederic Vasseur, having enjoyed GP2 title success with his ART Grand Prix team in 2006.

He will also partner Charles Leclerc at a time when Ferrari is aiming to end its championship-winning drought that stretches back to 2008.

While Hamilton feels it is “inevitable” he will be phased out of team meetings, he asserted staying involved would have little impact on Ferrari's performance in 2025.

“It's inevitable perhaps at one stage, but at the end of the day, no information that I would get this year will impact next year,” he said.

“I'm not in communication [with Ferrari]. Nothing passes hands until I start the season next year and it takes time to develop things.”