Following recent developments, Ralf Schumacher does not rule out the possibility that Ferrari could consider terminating Lewis Hamilton’s contract.
“I have a pretty long contract,” Lewis Hamilton said ahead of the Formula 1 weekend in Brazil. But although the Briton’s statement suggested that he will continue to drive for Ferrari until at least the end of 2027, this may not necessarily be the case in reality. The past has shown on several occasions that contracts in Formula 1 are not worth much in serious cases when a team wants to get rid of a driver. For example, it was less than a year ago that Red Bull terminated Sergio Perez’s contract prematurely.
This is a scenario that expert Ralf Schumacher does not rule out at Ferrari either, given recent developments. Hamilton’s performance has recently been criticized not only by some experts, but also quite publicly by Ferrari boss John Elkann.
In Sky’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Schumacher points out that Ferrari has “a young [Oliver] Bearman” up its sleeve, “who is doing wonders with the Haas. And he costs a fraction of what Lewis Hamilton does,” says Schumacher.
Hamilton too expensive and too old for Ferrari?
While the record Formula 1 world champion probably earns “high double-digit sums” at Scuderia, Bearman, who comes from their own youth program, would likely be significantly cheaper. In addition, Schumacher says that the 20-year-old could be used to “build something” for the future.
Hamilton, on the other hand, will already be 41 years old at the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, which, according to Schumacher, could also be one reason why the Briton has not yet been able to celebrate any major successes at Ferrari. “Somehow you get the feeling that the film has become a little too fast for him,” said Schumacher.
Hamilton won the sprint in China for Ferrari right at the start of the season, but he has yet to make it onto the podium in 21 attempts. His teammate Charles Leclerc has secured seven podium places in the same period and is also clearly ahead in the World Championship with 214:148 points.
“With such a high-profile figure, I expect more,” Schumacher said of the record champion, explaining that Hamilton “can’t get the car under control, makes mistakes, gets penalties, drives into Carlos Sainz’s car in turn 1 in Brazil.” That, he said, must be critically questioned.
Schumacher: Hamilton has to run over the Ferrari
Schumacher’s theory: “I think he needs too much energy at the moment to get a fast lap out of the car, and that preoccupies him so much that he doesn’t really have the capacity to look left and right.” Hamilton has to give “more than 100 percent” to “get past Charles Leclerc.”
Schumacher suspects that this is causing Hamilton to make mistakes time and time again, adding: “And now the question is: Can he do it? Is it just the car?” Because Hamilton himself could also be the problem, “because he’s simply past his prime now.”
That may not be the case, “but it almost looks a bit like it,” says Schumacher, who explains: “If I were a manager now, I would also say: ‘[Hamilton] isn’t working, so I’d rather move on and build up a young, talented man like Bearman.’”
He could therefore imagine that Ferrari would pay Hamilton off and put Oliver Bearman in the car instead in the future. This wouldn’t be the first time such a move has been made at Scuderia. In 2009, for example, Ferrari paid Kimi Räikkönen a large severance package to make room for Fernando Alonso in 2010.
The Finn then spent two years on the sidelines before returning to the starting grid with Lotus in 2012. If Hamilton were to face a similar scenario, given his age, it would probably spell the end of his Formula 1 career.
