Lewis Hamilton has been urged to give up his F1 career in a brutal assessment of his dire start to life at Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has struggled to impress since moving to the Italian team after spending over a decade at Mercedes. He was nowhere near the battle for a podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, finishing nearly a minute behind winner Lando Norris.
After the race, Hamilton was blanked by his Ferrari engineer after some late drama over team radio. His muted display in Monaco was met with confusion by Mike Hezemans, a former racing driver who had success in the endurance category. He was at a loss to explain why Hamilton was unable to match the pace of his rivals.
When quizzed on Ferrari’s struggles in Monaco by RacingNews365, Hezemans said: “It’s really bad. And what’s wrong with Hamilton? He was 40 seconds behind.
“I thought he had to drive slowly to give Charles Leclerc a better chance, but that turned out not to be the case. He just couldn’t do anything. I don’t understand it at all.”
Hezemans believes Hamilton should acknowledge that he is ‘too old’ and step away from the sport, with Fernando Alonso falling into the same category. The former rivals, aged 40 and 43 respectively, are the oldest drivers on the F1 grid.
“Oh yes, that’s for sure,” added Hezemans when asked if Hamilton should retire. “Together with Fernando Alonso! It’s just a very difficult story. I’m old too.
“Unfortunately, when you’re old you shouldn’t start anymore. It’s just not possible. You’re just getting too slow. You’re getting a new generation that’s just better, and that’s not bad.”
Earlier this year, Hamilton insisted that he was not thinking about retiring from F1 any time soon. He even suggested that he could race for another 10 years if he stays motivated enough to continue.
“What I can tell you is, retirement is nowhere on my radar,” he told Time Magazine. “I could be here until I’m 50. Who knows? The old man is a state of mind. Of course your body ages, but I’m never going to be an old man.”
Hamilton also pledged to let his driving do the talking in response to a comment from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who said that ‘everyone has a shelf life’.
“I’ve always welcomed the negativity,” he added. “I never, ever reply to any of the older, ultimately, white men who have commented on my career and what they think I should be doing.
“How you show up, how you present yourself, how you perform slowly dispels that.”
