Jacques Villeneuve’s advice to Lewis Hamilton on when to retire from F1

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve advised Lewis Hamilton to retire from F1 only when he loses his passion for racing.

Hamilton endured another difficult weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix for Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion crashed out of the race after making an uncharacteristic mistake at Turn 3.

It was Hamilton’s first DNF as a Ferrari driver, and unusually, it was an error that was entirely his own fault.

Hamilton has had a tough run, scoring points once in the last three races.

At Spa, Hamilton failed to make it beyond the first part of qualifying in either session.

However, an inspired strategy call moved him up the order.

In Hungary, Hamilton was knocked out in Q2, while Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc clinched his first pole position of the year.

Hamilton was lapped and finished outside the points, resulting in two hard-to-watch interviews with Sky Sports.

Hamilton declared that he was “useless” after qualifying at the Hungaroring.

After the race, Hamilton hinted that things were going on behind the scenes at Ferrari that he was not happy with.

Hamilton’s poor form led to a plethora of suggestions that he might consider retiring from the sport - or at least begin to question his place in F1.

Villeneuve’s advice for Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton currently has a multi-year deal with Ferrari.

The 40-year-old will be keen to see how he fares next year, with vast changes to the technical regulations.

One key change is around the floor, which will significantly impact how the cars are driven on track.

It’s been suggested that the new regulations could suit Hamilton more, allowing him to drive more aggressively.

Speaking to ComeOn Ontario, Villeneuve discussed when Hamilton should consider retiring from F1.

“You retire not because people think you’re not good enough anymore. You retire because you would rather not go to the racetrack in the morning when you wake up,” he said.

“That’s what maybe you tell yourself, ‘No, this is not what I want my life to be anymore.’ That’s very, very different.

“If you’re still competitive and you still have it in you, don’t quit. Find a way. Don’t find a way. Retiring is not just linked to results.

“It’s the state of mind, the inner drive, the passion.

“Do you still love doing what you’re doing? Does it bring you anything? And it’s a multitude of things; there’s psychology, there’s happiness or not, fulfilment, money. It’s a mixture of things.

“So, you make the calculation. What does it bring you and what does it take away from you? And then that’s when you decide.”