Sir Lewis Hamilton has declared himself ‘useless’ after failing to reach Q3 in Hungary. The Briton’s torrid transition to Ferrari was compounded by the fact his teammate Charles Leclerc put the same vehicle on pole position. The seven-time world champion then proceeded to have a full-on tantrum in the F1 media pen. “The team, they have no problem – they’ve seen the car is on pole. So, they probably need to change the driver,” said Hamilton.
USELESS HAMILTON
The 40-year-old Briton’s comments have reignited speculation about possible retirement, just months after switching from Mercedes. “That’s a tendency. It happens very, very quickly. I personally experienced the same thing in my own career,” said former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher.
But Schumacher believes Leclerc’s current form and the team’s technical focus around him may be compounding Hamilton’s difficulties. “If things continue like this, Ferrari will have to choose, because he (Hamilton) is starting to doubt himself more and more,” Schumacher said.
FOLLOWING ALONSO AND VETTEL
Hamilton said just last week that he didn’t want to repeat the fate of Alonso or Vettel at Ferrari (never winning a title again). However, he may now be confronting that very same scenario and more or less asking team bosses to fire him. “His words after qualifying are almost a sign of surrender. Especially at a track he loves, and with his teammate on pole,” said Former Ferrari driver Ivan Capelli.
However, Ferrari team boss, Frederic Vasseur, defended Hamilton’s performance. “The window is tight, and the car can’t cope with his driving style. We underestimated Lewis’ challenges at the start of the season,” he said. Meanwhile, Vasseur was also thankful for Ferrari renewing his own contract.
“You don’t win overnight. It takes years. Ferrari hasn’t won a constructors’ title since 2008 and we want to win again. We’ve made progress, but we need time to put everything together. 2026 will be a great opportunity,” concluded Vasseur – with GMM
DO YOU THINK FERRARI SHOULD REPLACE HAMILTON BEFORE 2026?
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