Lewis Hamilton 'won't be at Ferrari for much longer' if key change is made

F1 journalist Will Buxton has suggested that Lewis Hamilton may quit Ferrari sooner than the end of his current contract, if a rumoured change is completed.

Hamilton joined Ferrari back in January, but has not had a good first six months with the Scuderia, failing to pick up a single grand prix podium in the first 12 races of the 2025 season.

The seven-time world champion is contracted with the team until the end of the 2026 season, but Buxton has suggested that may be cut short if his current team principal is given the axe.

Hamilton and Fred Vasseur worked together in GP2 back in 2006, when Hamilton won the title and was subsequently promoted to F1, and the Brit has been backing Vasseur throughout 2025, despite pressure on the Frenchman's position.

Now, following the brutal axing of Christian Horner from the Red Bull setup, Vasseur has been tipped to be replaced by the man who led Red Bull to six constructors' championships across 20 years.

But Buxton believes this would just add unnecessary strain on the team, and the relationship between the Maranello outfit and their seven-time world champion driver.

"One of the key reasons that Lewis moved to Ferrari - it wasn't just the allure of racing for the Scuderia, it was to link up once again with Fred Vasseur, who ran Lewis to his junior series championships," Buxton told the Sports Agents podcast.

"Lewis adores that man and has absolute faith in Fred Vasseur. If they replaced Fred with Christian Horner, I don't think Lewis would be a Ferrari driver for much longer."

Will Hamilton ditch Ferrari?

While the fact that Ferrari have not given Hamilton a car capable of challenging for world championships will frustrate the 40-year-old, Hamilton's form compared to his team-mate has been patchy.

He has only outqualified Charles Leclerc on four occasions out of 12, and sits 16 points behind the Monegasque racer down in sixth in the drivers' championship.

Leclerc has also driven brilliantly well to secure four podiums in 2025 to Hamilton's zero, and the Brit will be looking to pick up his form to prove that he is the man to win Ferrari their first championship of any kind since 2008.

The same applies to Vasseur, with speculation surrounding his future, but Ferrari have not yet indicated that they are planning to replace the Frenchman, who joined the team in 2023.

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