Expensive, old and set in his ways - Examining the reasons why F1 legend Lewis Hamilton won't return to Mercedes

Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Expensive, old and set in his ways - Examining the reasons why Lewis Hamilton won't return to Mercedes

The Brit has struggled after his Ferrari move

Chris Deeley

Sunday 10 August 2025 18:58

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Lewis Hamilton has been tentatively linked with a move back to his Mercedes comfort zone, with his Ferrari debut exploding on the launch pad.

The seven-time world champion had hopes of clinching a record-breaking eighth title when he made the move to the Scuderia, but he's yet to even claim a grand prix podium for the team going into the summer break.

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However, Ralf Schumacher has weighed in on the idea and slapped it down in no uncertain terms, giving a handful of good reasons for the team to avoid a reunion.

Let's just run through them one by one and see if, by some miracle of this earth, we agree with Ralf. He'll be in bold, we'll be in italics.

Hamilton is languishing in sixth in the drivers' championship

The arguments against Hamilton returning to Mercedes

"Lewis is 40 and has certain expectations. [Yep, Wikipedia page checks out. That's a 40-year-old man.] First, the financial expectations are high. [Calling this one bogus – not because it isn't true, but because the money was already sky high for the Mercedes contract he was meant to be racing on this year. It's not like this is a pauper team, they'd very much built paying him truckloads of money into their accounts for 2025.] And second - how long can he still do this? How long will he want to? I think his level is still good, but whether it’s as good as it used to be - nobody really knows. [This is not only true, but probably the single main reason Lewis won't be back at Mercedes. Toto Wolff pointed out last month that George Russell was outperforming him, and even Russell's long-term future isn't exactly secure.]

"When I look at this year’s rookies - Bearman is doing a great job, Hadjar is doing a great job, Antonelli too when things click – and we’ve already talked about Bortoleto. That’s four drivers you could realistically consider. And others like Alex Dunne and Arvid Lindblad are coming up in Red Bull’s system. So if anything, I think the young guys will get a chance to establish themselves. [Bearman isn't a rookie, but the essential point of this is...weirdly, somewhere between correct and irrelevant. Lewis can't dislodge Antonelli at Mercedes, but he wouldn't have to because the choice would be between him and Russell, not him and the tiny child.]

"I would bet on the future. I’d be hated for this, but if I were a team boss, I’d go for a young driver with potential. Someone you can shape, someone adaptable. Because I know from my own experience, the older you get, the more set in your ways you become." [If you want any further material on this, just look at the last seven months of Hamilton trying to shape Ferrari in his own image of an ideal team, rather than becoming their image of an ideal driver. It may or may not work, but committing to change your entire working setup for a driver in his 40s is a brave call.]

That's a little more comprehensive than even we expected when going into that exercise. Emotionally, there are dozens of reasons for one of the sport's greats to go home. Practically though, they're draining away fast.

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