Lewis Hamilton knows his time has passed, claims former F1 driver

Lewis Hamilton's start to his Ferrari journey has not been all flowers and sunshine. Moreover, this even led the Briton to claim that he had not yet adapted to the SF-25's driving style, hinting at a longer acclimatization period than he had hoped. This led former F1 driver Jaime Alguersuari to claim that the seven-time champion knows that his time has passed in the F1 realm.

Since the introduction of the ground effect era of regulations, the former world champion has not been able to reach his previous career heights. While Mercedes' performance metric was also a factor, Hamilton was beaten in the intra-team rivalry against George Russell, showcasing the younger driver's surge to the top.

Meanwhile, the 40-year-old decided to move to Ferrari and fulfill one of his career-long dreams. Moreover, this alliance led to Hamilton winning the Sprint race in China in the elusive red colors, but this trend soon turned south as Charles Leclerc emerged as the lead Ferrari driver.

Observing how Hamilton struggled with the SF-25 while the Monegasque took the maximum out of the car, Jaime Alguersuari said, via The After Lap podcast:

"I have the feeling that Hamilton, he’s going to leave. 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.'"

Lewis Hamilton sits seventh in the championship standings after the first five rounds, two spots below his teammate, Leclerc.

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Ferrari is backing Lewis Hamilton through his early struggles

Lewis Hamilton (L) and Frederic Vasseur (R) at the F1 75 Live - Source: Getty

Though Lewis Hamilton's performances have not been great so far, the Maranello-based squad has not ended their support for the Briton. They have openly voiced their support for the seven-time champion, including Ferrari supremo Fred Vasseur.

The Frenchman claimed that he was "2000 percent" behind Hamilton amid the tough times, and said, via Formula 1:

"I will be 2000% behind him and I will give him support here, and we will start from tomorrow morning to try to find solutions and reasons and to work on it early in the morning. But honestly, I am not too worried; if you have a look on what he did in China or what he did in the race in Bahrain last week, or even on the first part of the season except in this weekend, the potential is there for sure."

Five rounds of racing have elapsed so far in the 2025 F1 season. The next race is scheduled to take place at Miami International Autodrome on May 4.