05/08/2025 10:10
Martin Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton could retire from F1 rather
than "endure" another two seasons of grand prix racing after a
torrid Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton qualified and then finished a
lapped 12th in Hungary, and after qualifying, called himself
"useless" and suggested Ferrari should change the driver to achieve
better results. The Briton has not claimed a grand prix podium for
the Scuderia, the first time in his career he's failed to finish in
the top three before the summer break, although he did take pole
and the win and then third in the Chinese and Miami Sprint races,
respectively. Hamilton signed an initial two-year deal upon joining
Ferrari, with the option of a third year in 2027, but Brundle
believes that unless Hamilton "can weather the storm", the
seven-time champion could walk away from F1. "I'm not looking
forward to writing this next section, it's about Lewis Hamilton,
who endured what must have been one of the worst weekends of his
career, in and out of the car," Brundle began in his Sky Sports F1
column. "He struggled for ultimate pace in qualifying, and with
the pack so close, he would start only 12th when his team-mate
Leclerc was on pole. He would then describe himself as "useless" in
post-qualifying interviews and suggest the team should change the
driver. "That was best left unsaid, but he obviously wanted to
openly punish himself. "The summer break couldn't be more timely
for Lewis to have a reset. It's painful to observe this great
champion in so much strife, and we have to expect that he can
weather the storm and return to form, given his talent and
experience. "But otherwise, I simply can't see him enduring two
more seasons at Ferrari, or anywhere else, like this. "He's clearly
in a difficult place personally, and during the race, he would
finish in that same 12th position, never really showing signs of
progress. "He sat in the car in parc ferme post-race for what
seemed an age, was very downbeat in interviews again, and then
declined to attend a stewards' enquiry about a rather ambitious
move Max Verstappen made on him during the race in the blind and
fast Turn 4, in which Lewis chose to drive off the road to avoid
contact. 'He didn't want to contest the incident and conceded via
his team, but Max did attend the meeting with a rational
explanation from his viewpoint, and avoided a penalty."
