Ex-F1 Team Boss Demands Lewis Hamilton to Retire Amid Miserable Ferrari Run

Former Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner insisted that Lewis Hamilton might be better off retiring from the sport.

Ex-F1 Team Boss Demands Lewis Hamilton to Retire Amid Miserable Ferrari Run

Lewis Hamilton (via Getty)

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Lewis Hamilton is arguably at the lowest point of his Formula 1 career at the moment. The seven-time world champion has publicly given up on himself after a disastrous first half of the season with Ferrari, a move that was supposed to bring glory back to Maranello. Now, former Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner has insisted that the Briton should hang up his racing gloves.

Hamilton had high ambitions for his switch to Maranello. The 40-year-old wanted to recreate the dominance of Michael Schumacher in the mid-2000s. Unfortunately, after the first half of the season, Lewis Hamilton has not much to show for. The Briton has failed to even fight for podiums let alone a race victory. Though, he did win the Sprint in China.

Tensions escalated to a point when Lewis Hamilton criticized himself. The seven-time world champion declared that he was completely useless for Ferrari. Moreover, he demanded that the Italian team should simply replace him going forward.

Guenther Steiner hinted that perhaps age is finally taking a toll on Hamilton. The Italian-American asserted that no driver gets faster with age. Though, he reckoned that Lewis Hamilton should be able to compete at his peak for at least a couple more years.

Age always plays a role… of course, you don’t get faster with age. But he can absolutely drive at a good level for a few more years.

Guenther Steiner told Web.de

However, Steiner pinpointed the major problem. He advised Lewis Hamilton that if the F1 star is no longer feeling joy while racing, then there is no point to continue. Rather, it would be better for Hamilton to simply give up and gracefully retire from the sport.

But if you don’t have the joy anymore, if you realize you’re just fighting, then it’s no use. Then it’s better to say: I tried, it didn’t work and I’ll stop.

Guenther Steiner added

Lewis Hamilton lost ‘self confidence’ at Ferrari

The past few years have not been easy for Lewis Hamilton. Ever since he lost the 2021 title at Abu Dhabi, the Briton has struggled to rediscover his mojo. Mercedes’ struggles in the ground-effect era only made matters worse. However, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was supposed to finally fix things. The F1 star was supposed to get back in his old form, something that has not happened.

Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur (via Reuters)
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur (via Reuters)

Guenther Steiner reckoned that the seven-time world champion had lost confidence in himself. When a driver has no faith in their performance, they simply cannot bring results. While initially, Hamilton’s struggles were blamed on the time it takes to adjust to a new team, Steiner asserted that such an excuse is no longer acceptable after half a season.

He has lost self-confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself anymore, you can’t perform. In the beginning, you could explain it with the settling-in… but why is it still not going well?

Guenther Steiner stated

Certainly, Lewis Hamilton needs better results. Critics have only grown louder as his performances have dipped in recent weekends. Moreover, the Briton’s negative comments have only made matters worse. If the seven-time world champion truly finds himself in a hopeless position, it might be better for Hamilton to simply retire from the sport or perhaps take a sabbatical.

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