Hamilton’s future departure is expected to be confirmed by both teams later on Thursday, with Carlos Sainz set to lose his Ferrari seat alongside Charles Leclerc, who signed a new long-term contract last week.
On Thursday afternoon, Mercedes employees in Brackley were reportedly informed of the news that Hamilton would be leaving halfway through the two-year deal he penned in 2023.
The 39-year-old will likely end his illustrious F1 career at Ferrari and already has business avenues that he has publicly admitted he is keen to add to.
INEOS, co-founded by United’s new part-owner Ratcliffe, is a one-third shareholder of Mercedes with Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Toto Wolff.
During the Glazer family’s strategic review, Hamilton was asked about the 71-year-old tycoon’s potential investment at Old Trafford.
“I am very close with Jim, so I am aware of where he is at [with United]. We talk a lot about football as he is very passionate about it,” Hamilton explained.
“We have great discussions about what his team is doing, we talk about how Arsenal [Hamilton’s team] is playing.
“Obviously, he is from Manchester, so that is his dream home… where he comes from. But there is no further information I can give you on that.”
Ratcliffe beat competition from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani to agree a £1.3billion deal with the Glazers, which will hand him a 29 per cent stake and total control of the club’s football operations.
And Hamilton has previously admitted he views Ratcliffe as a partner rather than a boss, leaving the door open for a potential future involvement in his United investment.
