Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton given Tiger Woods verdict in extraordinary title comparison

Lewis Hamilton is entering what's likely to be his final chapter in the sport

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 8 March 2025 20:57

Lewis Hamilton has been handed a retirement verdict from a former Formula 1 world champion, in a comparison with a number of other sporting legends.

The seven-time champion has moved to Ferrari for 2025 and beyond, hoping to once again challenge for race victories and championship titles after three dismal seasons with his former Mercedes team.

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Hamilton is statistically speaking the most successful driver in F1 history, leading the all-time lists of race victories, pole positions and podiums, and holding the joint record with Michael Schumacher for the number of world championship titles.

However, the F1 legend is now 40 years of age, and questions have been asked about whether he'll be able to get back to his best before retiring from the sport.

Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion

Lewis Hamilton has started new beginnings at Ferrari

When will Hamilton retire from F1?

Hamilton is preparing to compete in his 19th season in the sport in 2025, and has recently divulged that he is feeling reinvigorated and excited for all of the firsts that he's completing with Ferrari.

The Brit has also been positive about his chances of challenging for an eighth world title, with Ferrari looking good during pre-season testing in Bahrain, and Hamilton proclaiming it was the 'most positive' he had felt in a 'long time'.

Now, 1996 world champion Damon Hill has suggested that, if Hamilton does round off his career with an eighth world title, it would be a sporting achievement similar in stature to Niki Lauda's 1977 championship win after a horror crash the year before, or Tiger Woods' stunning 2019 comeback.

"We’re witnessing the last chapter," Hill told The Telegraph about the length of Hamilton's career. "And he really doesn’t have anything else to prove.

"But let’s say there’s a sliver of a chance he is winning an eighth world title in a Ferrari… that would be like one of those stories that sport every now and then throws up.

"Tiger Woods winning that Masters in 2019 on one leg, or Niki Lauda returning from near death. It would be right up there. Can it happen? I don’t think it’s totally impossible."