Lewis Hamilton ‘has finally accepted his F1 reality’ – it’s clear when he must walk away

Time waits for no man, not even Lewis Hamilton.

The time that Lewis Hamilton will wave goodbye to Formula 1 is nearing (Image: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton has finally “come to terms” with his declining powers in Formula 1, according to one former world champion. Damon Hill, the 1996 title-winner, says 41-year-old Hamilton can no longer rely on his previously successful driving style of “instinctive” racing – and believes the seven-time world champion has shown signs of accepting that reality.

Hamilton continues to race in F1 with the dream of winning an eighth title before he walks away from the sport. If he were to manage it, the Brit would become the only driver in history with as many world championship successes, finally surpassing the current record of seven that he holds jointly with Michael Schumacher.

But since missing out on that honour in 2021, there have been few signs of it happening in Hamilton’s results. A combination of Mercedes’ competitive decline, and a nightmare first season with Ferrari in 2025 after swapping the Silver Arrows for the Scuderia, have seen him win just two Grands Prix over the last four seasons, not including the current campaign.

And history is against Hamilton. Just nine drivers have won a World Championship Grand Prix in their 40s and nobody has managed it since Nigel Mansell at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix. And only three have ever won the title over 40 – Juan Manuel Fangio did it five times in the 1950s, while the most recent was Jack Brabham in 1966.

Hamilton’s first crack at joining those lists last year saw him fail to record even a podium – one single Sprint race victory was one of very few highlights of what proved to be a very challenging first year in red. And it affected the Brit heavily at times, leading to some difficult-to-watch interviews after bad results, such as the one in which Hamilton said he wasn’t good enough and suggested Ferrari should replace him.

He has been much more positive already this season, happy with his new car even before he was able to finally deliver that first Ferrari podium in China last month. Referring to that change of demeanour, Hill said on the Stay On Track podcast: “It seems to me that he’s come to terms with the fact that he’s at that end of his career and you simply can’t keep doing the instinctive things you do when you’re 20.”

It’s unclear when exactly Hamilton’s current Ferrari contract expires. When he signed it, many reports suggested it was a two-plus-one deal which guaranteed his place until the end of 2026 with the option for an extra year, while more recent claims have suggested his 2027 place is guaranteed as well. In any case, Hill’s podcast co-host and fellow former F1 racer, Johnny Herbert, believes it’s on Hamilton to recognise the right time to walk away.

He said: “With everything he’s done in his whole career, even before Formula 1, there’s always been that unbelievable talent that’s always been shining through. The one thing I would probably say if I was close to him is, ‘Be honest’. There is a point where things aren’t going to be as easy as they once were, your competitiveness is probably not going to be where it once was, and you have to go, ‘I’ve had my time’.”