Lewis Hamilton has completed his first – and disappointing – season with Ferrari without scoring a single podium. Could retirement really become a possibility in 2026? When he chose to join Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton certainly could not have imagined a campaign this challenging. Now the question is: what awaits him next year? The seven-time Formula 1 world champion ends the season with a negative record.
Across 24 Grand Prix weekends, Lewis Hamilton never reached the podium, with the only exception being his victory in the Chinese Sprint Race. In Abu Dhabi, the British driver crossed the finish line in eighth place after a remarkable recovery from the back of the grid.
However, it is still not enough. There is no point denying that the Ferrari–Lewis Hamilton partnership simply did not work this year. He was clearly outperformed by his teammate Charles Leclerc on several occasions, both in qualifying and in the race.
Lewis Hamilton has now announced that he will take some time to reflect, as he personally stated: “No one will be able to contact me this winter. I won’t be taking my phone with me, and I don’t want to. I will be completely disconnected.”
Nico Rosberg, who retired from Formula 1 after winning his first and only world title in 2016, has been honest about the situation: could his former rival really leave Ferrari and walk away from racing altogether?
“It has been a terrible season for him and it’s not a dignified way to end his career,” he told Sky Sports F1. “It is really difficult for him to deal with this situation. He is being beaten by his teammate. He struggles to get into Q2. He spins on his own; it’s a real nightmare.”
“For him, it is even worse than it looks from the outside. He is the greatest, and we will never question that. But this is affecting his legacy a little bit.”
Lewis Hamilton has endured a true annus horribilis, but is retirement actually an option? According to Nico Rosberg, it is out of the question, although he admitted: “He is really stuck. Retiring now is not possible. Who would they replace him with? And it would also be a bit of a loss of prestige, because taking on such a big project and then, after 12 months, retiring because it’s difficult, does not make sense. And to continue like this? Time is not on his side,” he observed. “And it is not going to get easier. So that is not an option either. It is a very difficult situation.”
Nico Rosberg did, however, make a prediction: next year the new technical regulations will come into force. There will be a complete reset. This could give Ferrari – and Lewis Hamilton – renewed hope.
“The car could genuinely be competitive next year. He might suddenly feel much more comfortable behind the wheel, because that is one of his main issues. He simply does not feel at ease with the car.”
The support from the fans has never been lacking. But Nico Rosberg warned that even this could eventually change if there is no chance of returning to the top. “For now, the whole of Italy is still, in a way, supportive and patient. That is what I saw even in Monza a couple of months ago. But at some point, that will change too.” – the former Formula 1 driver concluded.
One year left on his Ferrari contract, a brand-new set of regulations on the horizon, and a legacy on the line – 2026 suddenly looks like the most pivotal season of Lewis Hamilton’s extraordinary career.
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