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Former F1 driver and pundit Ralf Schumacher believes Lewis Hamilton might call it quits soon from the sport after a difficult start with Ferrari. The Brit is arguably the greatest driver in the sport's history and statistically the most successful driver, with 105 race wins, 104 pole positions and seven world titles.
However, he has been struggling to gel with the current generation of cars since the introduction of the regulations in 2022. He has only managed two race wins, in Silverstone and Spa last year in his farewell season with Mercedes, before moving to Ferrari.
However, Lewis Hamilton's performances haven't improved drastically, as he has failed to extract the maximum out of the SF-25 in his first five races. Speaking with Sky Germany’s Backstage Pit Lane podcast, Schumacher said that Hamilton could hang up his gloves if his performances don't improve soon (via PlanetF1):
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“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,’" Schumacher said.
Lewis Hamilton has a contract with the Italian team for another year, with an option to extend it for a further season in 2027. He previously said that he has no intention of stopping racing.
Ferrari team principal extends his support to Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has said that he's not "worried" about Lewis Hamilton's slump as he has shown signs of brilliance in the SF-25.
Speaking to the media after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Frenchman told F1.com:
"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.
“We just have to adjust the balance because we are, collectively, Lewis and us, we are studying the balance of his car, and he is working the tyres, and it's a kind of negative spot, but I think the potential of the car is there, and we will try to solve that,” Vasseur said.
Lewis Hamilton won the only Sprint race of the 2025 season in China ahead of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen but is yet to stand on the podium in a main race.
