Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher can “absolutely see” Lewis Hamilton retiring from the championship amid ongoing struggles at Ferrari.
The seven-time champion was downcast during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, telling the media that he was “useless” and indicating that the Maranello outfit should consider a different driver.
Hamilton joined Ferrari after a 12-year stint with Mercedes, which resulted in six of his seven championship titles. At 40, he was keen to fulfil his lifelong dream of driving for the historic team as well as securing a record-breaking eighth drivers’ championship. But since arriving at the team, the British driver has struggled to adapt to the car and, for the most part, has been outperformed by his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Schumacher argued that it is easy for self-doubt to creep in when a driver is in that situation.
“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,” Schumacher explained during the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.
“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.”
The former driver suggested that Hamilton could look to one of his other business ventures away from F1 and pursue those on a more full-time basis rather than continue racing.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
“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. You know we’ve covered that only three months ago, when everybody was criticising us – me especially – why I think Lewis could retire. But now he is talking about that himself. Something has happened.
“I think: If he manages to turn things around, then it’s old news. Sometimes it only takes one, two situations that can carry you going forward, that make you enjoy it again. Maybe it’s like in soccer when you score a goal after a long time without a hit.
“This is the one ultimate lap for a racing driver – to achieve that lap and win a podium that nobody believed you could do. When this happens, fine. But if not, then I wouldn’t rule out Lewis quitting at the end of the year.”
Hamilton explained that he was keen to use the F1 summer break to reset and recharge before returning for the Dutch Grand Prix on 29-31 August.
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