Lewis Hamilton told to retire by former F1 boss: "I think he maybe ought to move over a little bit"

Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has suggested Lewis Hamilton to retire, with the seven-time champion seemingly on the last leg of his racing career. The comments by the 94-year-old came a day after the Ferrari driver witnessed one of his worst qualifying sessions of the year.

The 40-year-old joined Ferrari with the ambition of bringing back the championship glory to Maranello. Though his arrival at Maranello was paired with a sprint victory earlier in the year, Hamilton has not witnessed such highs again.

The seven-time champion has not even claimed a solitary podium in the 2025 season, while his teammate, Charles Leclerc, has clinched five top-three results in the Grand Prix format already. With the Monegasque claiming pole position around the Hungaroring circuit, he has extended his lead in the intra-team battle to 10-4 in comparison to Hamilton.

With Hamilton trailing in the intra-team battle and Ferrari not being the benchmark in F1 anymore, the seven-time champion's hopes of winning a drivers' title with Ferrari seem a distant dream. In line with this, Ecclestone suggested his compatriot say his goodbyes to the sport, implying the risk of staying in the sport outweighs the benefits, as the 94-year-old told Sky Sports F1:

"I think Lewis has done a fantastic job; he's still super talented. I think he ought to sort of move over a little bit; it would be terrible if something happened to him now. You know that's what's bad."

Just a few race weekends ago, Hamilton was on a string of fourth-place finishes and was even able to secure a points finish at the Belgian GP despite his Q1 exit earlier in the weekend.

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Lewis Hamilton is at one of his lowest points in his career

Angela Cullen and Lewis Hamilton after the qualifying for the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton's 2025 journey with Ferrari has suddenly flipped upside down for the Briton. Though the points are awarded on Sunday, he has often struggled to outscore Charles Leclerc in the races, as the 27-year-old now has a 30-point lead over the seven-time champion.

Knowing the severity of his performance deficit to Leclerc and how he was holding the team back, Hamilton even suggested that Ferrari swap him around for another driver in the post-qualifying interview with Sky Sports F1:

"I’m useless, absolutely useless. The team, they have no problem – you’ve seen the car is on pole. So, they probably need to change driver."

This statement resounded in his interview with F1 TV, as he said:

"It clearly is. I drove terribly. It is what it is."

Lewis Hamilton is slated to start 12th for the Hungarian GP, his lowest-ever qualifying position at the Hungaroring circuit (barring a mechanical issue halting him in 2014).