Suspicion Lewis Hamilton will ‘already be thinking’ about retirement raised

FIA steward Derek Warwick suspects Lewis Hamilton will already be thinking about retiring from F1 amid his ongoing Ferrari struggles.

The seven-time world champion’s up and down start to life at Ferrari continued at the Spanish Grand Prix where he endured arguably his worst race since completing his blockbuster switch to the Scuderia over the winter.

Hamilton finished seventh on the road but inherited sixth thanks to Max Verstappen’s penalty and was comprehensively outperformed by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who claimed a hard-earned third.

Warwick believes Hamilton underestimated how difficult joining Ferrari would be after 12 years with Mercedes and thinks the 40-year-old Briton may already be thinking about bringing the curtain down on his illustrious career.

“I don’t know why Lewis Hamilton can’t get going in a Ferrari. I think that's an enigma really,” Warwick told Plejmo.  “I think we all saw him moving to Ferrari as a great opportunity to win his 8th world title.

“The car is not to his liking at the minute. Most critics will say he’s a seven-times world champion, 105 Grand Prix wins, surely you adapt to the car you've got, because Charles has.

“But for some reason he can't get used to it. I think people underestimate, including Lewis, maybe how difficult it is to join a new team.

“How to get used to their systems, their debriefs, getting them to understand what you want and vice versa.

“And the most important thing on the car is probably the steering wheel because there are so many different adjustments you can do to the steering wheel, maybe he hasn't quite got on top of that.

“Do I want Lewis to win races and challenge for the World Championship? Yes. I think he deserves it. I think he deserves that 8th world title.

“It’s not going to happen this year, and I think if it carries on the way it is at the minute, I suspect he's already thinking of stopping.”

Lewis Hamilton lacking confidence 

The only highs for Hamilton this season have come in sprint events in China where he claimed an impressive pole position and victory, and Miami, where he finished third.

Hamilton is yet to score a grand prix podium for Ferrari while Leclerc has taken three in the opening nine races.

Warwick reckons Hamilton is in need of a confidence boost.

“I don't see him running half a second behind Charles, and also running in 6th, 7th and 8th place,” Warwick added.

“He's had enough of that for the last 3 years, with Mercedes. So he needs to get a bit of confidence back.

“I thought in China, I think it was when he won the sprint race, I thought that was the turning point, but the car's still not to his liking.

“And we can talk about how it’s not to his liking but I think that the Red Bull car is by far the most difficult car on the grid and it's only Max that can drive it.

“It's so on the nose, it's over steering everywhere, which is what Max obviously likes but anybody that sits in that car just can't drive it the same way.

“So, the whole team is driven to do what Max wants, which makes it impossible for everybody else.

“But if I was team boss I wouldn't change the direction they are going.

“I'm am a little confused why they can't set up the car a bit differently for Yuki, to be a bit quicker. I think all drivers like to be comfortable in a car.

“Some of us like understeer, some like oversteer. But in terms of Grand Prix drivers, they are the best in the world.

“They should be able to accommodate any ill handling of a car."