Schumacher hints at EARLY Hamilton Ferrari exit amid Hungarian GP disaster

Sky F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher suggested during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend that Lewis Hamilton could retire from the sport earlier than expected amid his Ferrari woes.

Hamilton moved to Ferrari at the beginning of 2025, but has struggled to make any kind of impression, yet to achieve a grand prix podium while team-mate Charles Leclerc has achieved five throughout the season.

F1 RESULTS: Hamilton's Ferrari woes continue as McLaren stars in dramatic late battle

After only qualifying 12th at the Hungaroring, Hamilton described his performance as 'useless', before hinting that his team should consider axing him. His incredibly downbeat demeanour then continued into Sunday, where he said that he 'didn't even remember' an incident during the race involving old enemy Max Verstappen.

Now, Schumacher has suggested that an immediate decision could be made on Hamilton's future, doubling down on comments earlier in the year that he made about an early retirement for the seven-time champion.

"He's not really getting to grips with the car," Schumacher said on Sky Sports Germany. "He doesn't really know how to handle it. He obviously can't completely change his driving style.

"That's exactly what I said at the beginning of the year. If things continue like this, there will come a time when Ferrari will have to choose one driver and can't build a car for both. And then things will get tight. Now he's starting to doubt himself more and more."

When asked whether he thought Hamilton was thinking about his immediate future, Schumacher said: "Yes, that's a trend, and it's happening very, very quickly. "Personally, I've had the same experience. That was in the DTM, where I said: 'Okay, there's no point in this anymore.' I handed the car in a year early. I trust him to be able to do it and to do it. Because it's such a bitter disappointment, and he doesn't know what to do.

"Not immediately, of course, but something like that can always happen."

Will Hamilton retire?

Following a Hungarian GP where he could not improve on that 12th-place qualifying position, Hamilton said that there was 'a lot going on in the background that isn't great', leading some to suggest that he could mean that his future beyond the end of this season is not certain.

There are wholesale regulation changes coming to the sport in 2026, and Ferrari need to ensure they have the best possible driver lineup in their cars for what will be a crucial year.

For Hamilton, it could be a fresh start. The ground effect cars that have been in F1 since 2022 have clearly not been suited to Hamilton's skills, with the Brit only having won two races since the ground effect era started.

Both car designs and power unit rules will undergo huge changes in 2026, which may lead to Hamilton being able to have a fresh start, in the second year of his current Ferrari contract.

While both Schumacher and Hamilton's comments throughout the weekend suggested that the seven-time champion may not be racing for Ferrari in 2026, there is no suggestion at this stage that the Maranello outfit will be looking to replace Hamilton.

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