Fia Steward Derek Warwick suspects Lewis Hamilton is already considering retiring from Formula 1 amid the ongoing Ferrari struggle.
The seven-time world champions up and down at Ferrari continued at the Spanish Grand Prix, and undoubtedly endured the worst race after completing the blockbuster switch to the Scuderia over the winter.
Hamilton finished seventh on the road, but thanks to a penalty from Max Verstappen, he inherited sixth place, and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclair claimed a hard-earned third place with a comprehensive outperforming.
Warwick underestimates how difficult it will be for Hamilton to join Mercedes and Ferrari in 12 years, and believes the 40-year-old Briton is already thinking of knocking down the curtains on his illustrious career.
“I don’t know why Lewis Hamilton can’t join Ferrari. I think that’s a real mystery,” Warwick told Presimo. “I think we all saw him move to Ferrari as a great opportunity to win the eighth world title.
“This car doesn’t like him at the moment. Most critics will say he’s a 7x World Champion, a 105 Grand Prix victory.
“But for some reason he can’t get used to it. I think people, including Lewis, are underestimating it, perhaps because how difficult it is to join a new team.
“The system, how to get used to debriefing, letting you understand what you want, and vice versa.
“And the most important thing about the car is that it is probably the steering wheel, so there are so many adjustments on the steering wheel, and perhaps he doesn’t get much on top of it.
“Would you like Lewis to win the race and challenge him for the World Championship? Yes, I think he deserves it. I think he deserves that eighth world title.
“It won’t happen this year. If it continues midway through that moment, I think he’s already thinking about stopping.”
Lewis Hamilton is not confident
Hamilton’s only high this season took place in a sprint event in China, where he claimed an impressive pole position and victory, with Miami finishing third.
Hamilton has yet to score the Ferrari Grand Prix podium, but Leclerc won three times in the opening nine races.
Warwick believes Hamilton needs to increase his confidence.
“I haven’t seen him run half a second behind Charles, running sixth, seventh and eighth,” Warwick added.
“He’s had enough of it with Mercedes for the past three years, so he needs to regain a bit of confidence.
“In China, I thought it was when he won a sprint race, and I thought that was the turning point, but the car wasn’t his taste yet.
“And we can talk about things that aren’t his preferences, but I think the Red Bull car is the hardest car on the grid and the only one that can drive it is the biggest.
“It’s on the nose, so there’s steering everywhere, and that’s something Max loves, but no one sitting in that car can drive the same way.
“So, the whole team is pushed to do what Max wants, making it impossible for everyone else.
“But if I were the boss of the team, they wouldn’t change the direction they were going.
“I’m a bit confused as to why they can’t set up the car a little differently for Yuki, and it’s a bit faster. All drivers want to be comfortable in the car.
“Some of us like understeer, while others like oversteer, but when it comes to Grand Prix drivers, they are the best in the world.
“They should be able to handle unauthorized handling of cars.”
