Lewis Hamilton tipped to follow Ryan Reynolds and Tom Brady in Chelsea FC verdict

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has been tipped for a major change of career, as the Brit edges closer to retirement.

Hamilton may well opt to retire at the end of his current contract with Ferrari, which runs until the end of the 2026 season.

However, the champion has recently cut a rather downbeat figure across race weekends, suggesting at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend that his team should consider axing him after a string of poor performances.

Hamilton has not managed to achieve a grand prix podium in his first 14 race weekends as a Ferrari driver, and sits down in sixth in the championship.

It has been these disappointing performances and his negative attitude in post-race interviews that have caused popular paddock figures like Ralf Schumacher and Damon Hill to suggest that he may be set to retire before the end of his Ferrari contract.

Now, former F1 star Johnny Herbert has suggested that a major career change could be on the horizon for Hamilton if he does retire from F1, pointing to his various interests and projects away from the track.

"At some stage he was looking at investing into Chelsea wasn’t he? But most of the stuff that Lewis has done in the past has been stateside," Herbert told Thunderpick.

"The music is something that has always been on his mind and maybe that's something he wants to go into. He's obviously done a little bit with the F1 movie with Brad Pitt.

"So maybe it's that type of thing he would find enjoyable. Maybe it's going down the movie line, and maybe it's going down the music line as well.

"America has always been a big thing for him so maybe there is a link there. Maybe there’s a link with a football club out there in the States. I always feel it'll very much be state-based whatever he will probably do after his career."

Hamilton the next Tom Brady?

A number of superstars have purchased football clubs in recent years, with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's takeover of Wrexham well documented, while Tom Brady has helped guide Birmingham City back into the Championship.

On top of this, Hamilton's 2008 title rival Felipe Massa has joined forces with Kevin Magnussen and tennis superstar Novak Djokovic to take over French second division side Le Mans FC.

Now, Herbert has suggested that Hamilton could do something similar with Club World Cup champions Chelsea FC, despite the 40-year-old historically being a fan of their London rivals, Arsenal.

Herbert continued: "Football here is enjoying the same boom that F1 has been going through. Tom Brady at Birmingham, Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham.

"I know the Premier League has always been a big thing but it just seems, compared to anywhere else on the planet, that football there just seems to still be still growing and getting that interest from further afield.

"If he looked over here, then it would probably go back to the Chelsea link. There's something close to his heart about football."

Chelsea are currently co-owned by American businessman Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital, and that deal was only finalised in 2022, meaning Hamilton would likely have to wait some time before the club comes up for sale once more.

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