Ralf Schumacher doesn't rule out Lewis Hamilton retiring from F1 even before his current Ferrari contract expires

Ralf Schumacher doesn't think that Lewis Hamilton's early retirement is something that can be ruled out. The British driver's demeanor during the F1 Hungarian GP surprised a lot of people.

The driver didn't have a great qualifying, where he was eliminated in Q2, which was followed by his teammate Charles Leclerc securing pole position. Lewis Hamilton cut a demoralized figure in the media, where he even claimed that Ferrari should look at replacing drivers.

The mood did not improve much on Sunday when Lewis Hamilton could not secure a single point while his teammate spent the entire race fighting for a win against the McLaren duo.

The demoralized demeanor and Lewis Hamilton's cryptic comments have left a lot to be desired, and it has raised question marks over the future of the driver. Talking about the same on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Ralf Schumacher felt that one cannot rule out a retirement. The former F1 driver explained the thought process of everyone as he said,

"That’s actually a pretty simple process. You watch your team-mate do something, and you try and try and try - and you just can’t get it to work. At some point you think, ‘Well, I’ve tried everything with this car. The guy’s just better.’ And when you can’t find a way, self-doubt creeps in. Then you think: 'Why am I even doing this? I don’t enjoy it anymore. I’m leaving my family behind.' Okay, Lewis doesn’t have one - but friends and your circle. And then that process begins."

He added,

"Lewis is a very wealthy man. He might just say, ‘Alright, I’ll do something else. I’ll just make films now. That’s going well too - he’s involved in that new F1 movie. 'Why should I keep putting myself through this?’ And that’s a process that, at 40, is not far-fetched. You don't have to spend your life driving in circles. So yes - based on his statements, I could absolutely see him doing that."

Schumacher shuns suggestions of Lewis Hamilton's move back to Mercedes

Ralf Schumacher was also questioned about what he felt about the rumors of a Lewis Hamilton move back to Mercedes, to which he said that it would be a preposterous one. There have been suggestions within the paddock, as Ferrari's John Elkann was seen with Toto Wolff during the Hungarian GP.

Schumacher, however, felt that neither the financial nor the long-term aspect was fulfilled by hiring Hamilton, as he said,

"No, I can’t imagine that. Lewis is 40 and has certain expectations. First, the financial expectations are high. And second - how long can he still do this? How long will he want to? I think his level is still good, but whether it’s as good as it used to be - nobody really knows."

He added,

“And when I look at this year’s rookies - [Oliver] Bearman is doing a great job, [Isack] Hadjar is doing a great job, [Kimi] Antonelli too when things click - and we’ve already talked about [Gabriel] Bortoleto."

Lewis Hamilton's second half of the 2025 F1 season is going to be a critical one where the driver has to potentially fight back and show what he's capable of at Ferrari because the pressure is going to continue to mount otherwise.