Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton is facing intense pressure both internally and externally this season after a slow start, and Formula 1 analyst Tom Coronel gave his thoughts on the seven-time champion’s success.
Despite sitting in a solid sixth place in the standings, Hamilton is failing to meet the expectations placed on him.
He is yet to win a race or even place on the podium. For a great driver who was excellent at every part of driving, Hamilton has been outclassed in qualifying compared to Charles Leclerc.
The Ferrari SF-25 is not a race-winning car and has several flaws, but Leclerc has still managed to secure podium finishes with the car and qualified on pole position as well.
Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images
Right before the summer break, Hamilton was seemingly defeated, going as far as to suggest that Ferrari should change drivers.
His attitude and demeanor led many around the paddock to speculate about his future – considering his older age and high standards.
One of the loudest voices calling for Hamilton to retire was former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.
According to Coronel, a former race car driver from the Netherlands, Hamilton’s posture concerned him.
“No, you shouldn’t do that. You shouldn’t put yourself down,” Coronel told RaceXpress.
“Especially not him, he’s a seven-time world champion. So let’s be reasonable, but you can see that it does get under your skin when things are not going well.
“Ultimately, it’s all about egos. All drivers have that. And I just know: if you have a really bad day, then you just sleep poorly. He didn’t just have one bad day; he just had a really bad season in that red suit.
“Leclerc could seriously hurt him every now and then, and that starts to gnaw at you. Ecclestone had a statement of ‘man, just quit.’ But yes, of course, you would also want to have driven for Ferrari once.”
Ideally, Coronel would like to see teams opt for younger drivers and usher in a new era of talent, rather than retreading older names.
“Just give the youth a chance. Because I do see that: also an Alonso, also a Hamilton, of course, all equally cool, just like a Hülkenberg. But it’s time for renewal,” he added.
Hamilton appears set to finish out this season and 2026 with Ferrari, though his future beyond that remains unclear.
While he has struggled, there is still impressive race pace, experience, and craft that can fight at the top of the grid.
Ferrari and Hamilton will need to put their best foot forward for the second half of the season.
For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
