Schumacher questions if Hamilton will see out Ferrari dream
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Just five races into his much-hyped Ferrari chapter, Lewis Hamilton's future in Formula 1 is already under intense scrutiny.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has publicly questioned whether the seven-time world champion will see out his time at the Scuderia if his dismal results continue, while Sky Sports' Martin Brundle has offered his own skeptical take on Hamilton's struggles.
Ahead of next week's Miami Grand Prix, the pressure is mounting on the 40-year-old to turn his season around.
Hamilton's 2025 season has been far from the fairy tale many expected. After switching from Mercedes to Ferrari in a bombshell move announced in early 2024, the Briton currently sits a lowly seventh in the drivers' standings and has consistently been outperformed by teammate Charles Leclerc.
In Saudi Arabia, Hamilton finished a distant seventh – over 30 seconds adrift of Leclerc, who claimed Ferrari's first podium of the year.
A Grim Picture of Hamilton's Future
Schumacher says Hamilton's results—and body language—paint a worrying picture of the future.
"He just can't handle the car," the Sky Germany pundit said. "We talk a lot about Lando Norris, but it's almost worse with him.
"You can see it, he's really slumped. When you're standing there at some point and have no more resources and are constantly slowing down, then you lose everything.
"I know from my own experience: If things continue like this, it's no longer fun. Then he wakes up one morning and thinks: 'Why am I doing this to myself?
"I'm not having fun anymore, I can't manage it anymore. I'm getting in the way of my team.'"
Schumacher believes the project that once promised so much could unravel if Hamilton's motivation slips further.
"If this continues, there's a danger 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 going to do this to myself anymore'.
"Obviously, for some reason, it's not working out. It's a huge project, what Ferrari and Hamilton had planned. But at the moment, he's a long way from Charles Leclerc. I wouldn't have thought it would be this extreme.
"However, China also showed that as soon as he gets into the car and the track and the car suit him, he delivers."
Still, in the main Grand Prix in Shanghai, Hamilton once again trailed Leclerc before both were disqualified for unrelated infringements—further symbolic of a season full of missed opportunities.
Brundle Questions the Car Excuse
Sky F1's Martin Brundle Martin echoed many of Schumacher's concerns – though with a slightly different take as the Briton is skeptical that Hamilton's woes stem solely from a lack of car familiarity.
"Fred [Vasseur] summed it up, he said it's been up and down, because there was a time when we talked about in commentary where he was in the mid 1m32s which was bang on the pace," Brundle said during Sky Sports' post-race coverage in Jeddah.
But Hamilton's 31-second deficit to Leclerc, even accounting for traffic, raised red flags.
"I struggle to buy into he doesn't understand the car," Brundle stated. "It's a new car, but here we are knocking on the door of May, and they've had all the pre-season stuff and all that."
Brundle suspects the issue lies elsewhere, particularly in setup choices.
"I just think Lewis hasn't gelled with this car and I don't think he's going the right way on the setup," he said.
Drawing on insights from Hamilton's Mercedes days, Brundle added: "I know from the things I've heard from Mercedes about how Lewis likes the car in a certain way.
"Obviously he can't get the car there, where he needs it, so it's difficult days. But what's a bit odd is, all of a sudden, he was right there."
Hamilton's brief moments of competitiveness, like in China, suggest the talent is intact, but the consistency is missing.
As Miami looms, Hamilton faces a critical juncture. Schumacher's stark warning and Brundle's analysis underscore a troubling reality: the Ferrari project is faltering, and Hamilton's inability to match Leclerc is raising questions about his place in the team – and the sport.
With fans and celebrities set to flock to Miami, all eyes will be on whether Hamilton can rediscover his spark or if doubts about his future will grow louder.
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