Ralf Schumacher hopes Lewis Hamilton can still turn things around—but his age and many years at Mercedes could now be a problem
Has Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton already passed his peak at the age of 40? Expert Ralf Schumacher believes that Hamilton’s age could play a role in his difficulties adapting to Ferrari this year.
In Sky’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Schumacher explains that Hamilton’s basic speed is still there. This was demonstrated, for example, by his sprint victory in China this year. However, Hamilton is still waiting for his first podium finish with Ferrari in a Grand Prix.
“He just needs everything to be exactly right for him. And I think he had that at Mercedes. He worked hard to achieve that with Mercedes. And now he just doesn’t have it anymore,” explains Schumacher. Before moving to Ferrari, Hamilton had driven for the Mercedes works team for twelve years.
And according to Schumacher, that could be a problem, because: “The older you get, the more set in your ways you become,” explains the former Formula 1 driver from his own experience. That means: “I need a certain car, a certain style of car, to drive fast.”
“And I find it increasingly difficult to accept what I have. So I try to tinker with it. Every racing driver reaches that point,” says Schumacher, who admits that he himself felt that way at the end of his career.
Schumacher: No one knows how good Hamilton really still is
“Then the only question is how far Lewis has already come today,” said the six-time Grand Prix winner. The fact is that Hamilton, at 40, is not yet the oldest driver on the grid. Fernando Alonso even celebrated his 44th birthday this year.
But while Hamilton has only driven the Formula 1 Mercedes since 2013 before his move to Ferrari, Alonso has competed in the premier class for Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine, and now Aston Martin during the same period. He has also competed in other series such as the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IndyCar Series.
Does Hamilton’s long tenure at Mercedes mean that he may now lack the ability to adapt to a new environment at an advanced age? “I think the level is still good. But whether it’s as good as it used to be, no one knows,” explains Schumacher.
While Hamilton is still waiting for his first podium finish at Ferrari, his teammate Charles Leclerc has already been on the podium five times this year. The Monegasque also leads the drivers’ championship with 151:109 points.
Hamilton himself even described himself as “useless” shortly before the Formula 1 summer break, and Schumacher explains with regard to the Briton’s current crisis: “If you can’t find a way out, self-doubt will eventually set in.”
Should teams focus more on younger drivers?
So, in hindsight, should Ferrari have refrained from signing Hamilton and put a younger driver in the cockpit instead? Schumacher, at least, explains: “If I were team boss, I would rather put a young man in the car with potential for the future, someone I can mold, who is still malleable.”
The expert says of the rookies of the 2025 season: “Bearman is doing a great job. Hadjar is doing a great job. Kimi [Antonelli], when he’s on form, is also doing a very good job. And Bortoleto, of course.” With Hamilton, on the other hand, the question is: “How long can he keep going? How long will he keep doing this?“
”I would [as team boss] bet on the future,“ Schumacher says, explaining that he ”can’t imagine” Hamilton returning to Mercedes in the coming years, for example, if he can’t get his act together at Ferrari.
He believes “that the young drivers are now more likely to get a chance to establish themselves.” Nevertheless, he personally hopes that Hamilton will “somehow find a way” with Ferrari after the summer break, “because he still has the speed.” It’s just that he’s not showing it often enough at the moment.
