‘I know from my own experience’ – Lewis Hamilton tipped to retire and quit F1 BEFORE Ferrari contract expires

LEWIS HAMILTON has been tipped to retire from Formula One due to his performance issues at Ferrari.

Hamilton, 40, has struggled to get to grips with his machinery since joining Ferrari in the winter to end an 11-year long partnership with Mercedes.

AlamyLewis Hamilton has been tipped to RETIRE from F1 before his Ferrari contract expires[/caption]

RexHamilton has struggled to get to grips with his Ferrari machinery[/caption]

GettyRalf Schumacher believes the Brit will be considering his options, based on his own experience[/caption]

He has celebrated a Sprint Race victory in China in rare burst of speed.

But on Sunday race days, the Brit has managed a top five finish just once.

His contract with the Italian manufacturer expires at the end of the 2026 season.

However, the Brit has been tipped to hang up his racing gloves BEFORE then by Ralf Schumacher.

Schumacher, a six-time F1 Grand Prix winner, referenced his own end of career struggles in the motorsport to explain his argument.

He told Sky Germany’s F1 podcast: “He just can’t cope with the car. We talk a lot about Lando Norris [and his lack of belief], but it’s almost worse with him. You can see that he’s really slumped over.

“If you’re standing there at some point and have no more resources and are permanently slower, then you lose everything. 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.’

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“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.’

“It’s a huge project that Ferrari and Hamilton had in mind, but at the moment he’s a long way away from Charles Leclerc. I wouldn’t have thought it would be so extreme.

“However, China also showed that as soon as he gets into the car and the track and the car suit him, he delivers. There’s still something to come.”

Despite this assessment, Schumacher, 49, believes Hamilton is capable of performing with for the Scuderia.

The German added: “The expectations are very high, and Ferrari wants value for money. That means he has to make sure he performs. He probably will, because China was no accident.

“It’s not that he can’t do it. He just has to find the conditions and the car that suits him, and there are definitely circuits coming up that suit him.

“If he gives up now, it would be very early. I can hardly believe that, but if he does, then of course the team will be fully focused on Charles Leclerc, and developing the car more in his direction. 

“You can’t develop two cars in one team, it doesn’t work. The course is then clear.”

Hamilton will have the chance to replicate his stunning China GP Sprint victory in Miami this weekend as the second Sprint Race of the season comes on to the calendar.

With team-mate Charles Leclerc also slowly showing improved pace, Hamilton will be hoping results start to click into gear.

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