Ivan Capelli, who drove for Ferrari in 1991, believes Hamilton has lost his enthusiasm for F1 having realised that he might not be able to deliver the goods.
He delivered a six-word assessment in an interview with Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, saying: “He can no longer do it.”
Capelli explained: “I saw him lose the smile in his eyes. What was his strength, which was to take the team by the hand in difficult moments, he can no longer do it and he has now realised it. Especially with such a fast team-mate next to him.
“He is living a sort of double life. Away from the tracks he is the usual Hamilton, the seven-time world champion we know, but once in the car he can’t find an answer to his driving problems.”
Capelli is expecting Hamilton’s fortunes to improve after the summer break in spite of his early-season struggles. He will be desperate to bounce back at the Dutch Grand Prix and gain some much-needed momentum for the rest of the campaign.
“Lewis can still give something to Ferrari,” added Capelli. “To think that he will close the year like this is inconceivable. It’s not easy at all.
“Lewis is now aware that he can’t adapt to the SF-25 and even the working methods at Ferrari are probably far from what he was used to in 12 years at Mercedes.
“At this point, the only wild card that Hamilton can still play for is 2026: a totally new car, with new rules and where everyone starts on an equal footing.”
Next year’s sweeping regulation changes will offer Hamilton a fresh start, but he will need to get through the current season before he can think about what might happen in 2026.
It comes after Martin Brundle suggested that Hamilton could call time on his career before his Ferrari contract expires.
He told Sky Sports: “The summer break couldn’t be more timely for Lewis to have a reset. It’s painful to observe this great champion in so much strife.
“We have to expect that he can weather the storm and return to form given his talent and experience but otherwise, I simply can’t see him enduring two more seasons at Ferrari, or anywhere else, like this.”
