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Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Lewis Hamilton could retire before contract expires as Ferrari struggles 'no fun'
Lewis Hamilton has endured a nightmare start to life with Ferrari and has been warned by Ralf Schumacher that he could soon walk away from the sport A former racing star has warned that Lewis Hamilton might walk away from Formula 1 before his Ferrari contract is up if he doesn't turn around his performance. The seven-time champion has had a rocky start with the Scuderia, managing to scrape together only 31 points in five outings. Hamilton hasn't managed to place above fifth in any Grand Prix for his new squad and struggled to a seventh-place finish in Saudi Arabia last Sunday. Even his sole highlight this season, clinching a Sprint race victory in China, was marred by the gut-wrenching disqualification from the subsequent main event in Shanghai. With his dream of an eighth F1 title rapidly unravelling, there's now talk that the British racing legend could exit stage left from the sport before his current contract concludes next year. Ex-F1 ace Ralf Schumacher reckons Hamilton hasn't quite got the measure of his new ride. He also senses that the 40-year-old superstar's passion for racing may have waned. "You can see that he's really slumped over," he observed on Sky Germany's Backstage Pit Lane podcast. "If you're standing there at some point and have no more resources and are permanently slower, then you lose everything. "I know from my own experience: if it goes on like this, it's no fun anymore. If it goes on like this, there's a risk that at some point he'll say, 'Look, I don't want this anymore'. "Obviously, it's not working out for some reason. It's a huge project that Ferrari and Hamilton had in mind, but at the moment, he's a long way away from [team-mate] Charles Leclerc." While Hamilton has struggled to perform, the general consensus is that Leclerc has been able to get the most out of Ferrari's car so far this season. He especially impressed in Jeddah by securing the team's first Grand Prix podium of 2025, taking the chequered flag third ahead of the quicker McLaren of Lando Norris. Schumacher's comments come after Hamilton made a sombre forecast following that Saudi Arabia race. He does not foresee any significant improvements in performance for the rest of the 2025 season, reports the Express. "I think I'll struggle also in Miami," he admitted. "I don't know how much longer I'll struggle for, but it's definitely painful. At the moment, there's no fix. So, this is how it's going to be for the rest of the year. It's going to be painful." Hamilton sits seventh in the drivers' championship heading into this weekend's Miami Grand Prix. He is 16 points and two places behind Leclerc and already 68 adrift of standings leader Oscar Piastri, who leapfrogged Norris with his Jeddah victory.
News.com.au
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
‘He's going to leave': Hamilton tipped to shockingly depart Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton has been tipped to shockingly quit Ferrari. The seven-time world champion is still waiting for his first podium finish this season amid a tough start to life at his new team, The Sun reports. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during racing. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. But despite being just five races into his two-year deal, Red Bull's former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari believes Hamilton will quit Ferrari. Alguersuari, who featured in 46 F1 races between 2009 and 2011, made the shock call on the After Lap podcast. 'I have the feeling that Hamilton, he's going to leave,' he said. 'I don't know why I'm taking a risk by saying this. 'But I have the feeling that he's like, his time has passed, that he's already won a lot, that he's already won everything and that he's saying: 'OK, I've gone to Ferrari to try and see what happens in 2026.'' Ferrari last won a constructors' title 17 years ago and Alguersuari seemed to suggest joining them was a poor move for Hamilton if he wants to surpass Michael Schumacher's seven world titles. 'Ferrari is not a winning team. A team is a team that wins races, but it is not a winning team. They have not won since 2008,' he said. 'They may have a competitive car, they may have a competitive team, but they don't have a winning team. There is a difference.' Alguersuari wasn't the only former driver to believe Hamilton could pull the pin with Ralf Schumacher also stating 2025 might be his final year. 'He just can't cope with the car. We talk a lot about Lando Norris, but it's almost worse with him,' Schumacher said on the Backstage Pit Lane podcast. 'You can see that he's really slumped over. If you're standing there at some point and have no more resources and are permanently slower, then you lose everything. 'I know from my own experience: if it goes on like this, it's no fun anymore. 'Then at some point, he wakes up in the morning and thinks to himself: 'Why am I doing this to myself? I'm no longer having fun, I can't do it anymore. I'm getting in the way of my team.' 'If it goes on like this, there's a risk that at some point he'll say: 'Look, I don't want this anymore. I want to live my life now, I'm 40 years old. I'm so rich, I'm not doing this to myself anymore. Obviously it's not working out for some reason.' 'It's a huge project that Ferrari and Hamilton had in mind, but at the moment he's a long way away from Charles Leclerc. 'I wouldn't have thought it would be so extreme. 'However, China also showed that as soon as he gets into the car and the track and the car suit him, he delivers. 'There's still something to come.' Hamilton was keen to put any talk of him walking away to bed as he set the record straight at an event in London. 'Please keep your fingers crossed. I'm not going to give up,' he said. 'We're going to keep getting better. Still we rise, right?' Alguersuari and Schumacher's comments come after Hamilton cut a frustrated figure after finishing seventh at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Brit revealed he did 'not have an answer' as to why things are going wrong at the moment. He claimed there were 'zero' positives and that the race was 'horrible' and 'not enjoyable'. Hamilton went on to say: 'At the moment, there's no fix. This is how it's going to be for the rest of the year. It's just going to be painful.'
