Lewis Hamilton under microscope at Ferrari after 'useless' drives prompt retirement calls

Ferrari will be keeping a close eye on Lewis Hamilton after his claim that he has become 'useless', according to ex-F1 star Ralf Schumacher.

The brother of F1 legend Michael is also a pundit for Sky Germany and is known for delivering frequent no-nonsense hot takes on the sport's most debated topics.

Following the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out, the subject of Hamilton's potential retirement was on everyone's lips after the seven-time champion advocated for the Scuderia to replace him during a dire weekend in Budapest.

Schumacher has now weighed in on whether the former Mercedes star should retire, claiming: "At Ferrari, they don't turn a blind eye either."

Discussing Hamilton’s retirement on Sky Sport podcast Backstage Boxengasse, Schumacher said a mid-season exit from Ferrari, 'cannot be ruled out'.

"In my opinion, he either has to say, 'I'm hanging up my helmet'... or he has to say, 'now more than ever'", declared Schumacher.

The former driver reflected on his own career, remembering the questions a driver finds themself asking, including: "Why am I doing this now? I don't feel comfortable anymore, I'm leaving my friends and family behind,"

"It's possible that Lewis will say at some point that he's going to do something else," the former Williams driver added.

Will Hamilton throw in the towel early at Ferrari?

After Hamilton's own crushing assessment of his career in red in Hungary, he went on to deliver his worst result at a race weekend since starting with Ferrari back in March.

Nevertheless, the 40-year-old has shown continuously throughout this season that he is determined to give a shot at an eighth championship victory everything he's got, and he quite frankly wouldn't have signed a two-year deal with the Scuderia if he didn't believe in himself.

Schumacher noted this, and wasn’t dismissive of Hamilton’s ability, but implied that there will come a time when Hamilton has had enough of fighting with Ferrari.

"Silverstone last year and China this year: when everything comes together, he's as fast as an arrow."

"He needs everything to be just right for him. He worked hard to achieve that with Mercedes, but now he no longer has it."

"You don't have to spend your whole life going round in circles," he concluded.

F1 HEADLINES: Major Lewis Hamilton career change tipped as Max Verstappen 'villain' claim emerges

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