Lewis Hamilton compared to Michael Schumacher at Mercedes after ‘tactical’ outburst

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher

Just like Michael Schumacher found out at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is unable to hit top gear when not in sync with the Ferrari car.

That is the opinion cast by former F1 driver Christian Danner, who believes Hamilton’s brutal self-assessment in Hungary was done “tactically” towards Ferrari, rather than a genuine trip to rock bottom.

Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari: Can he turn it around?

Hamilton arrived at Ferrari in F1 2025 to great fanfare. The seven-time World Champion called time on his record-breaking Mercedes career to head for Maranello, but it has been tough going so far.

Ferrari had hoped to be in the F1 2025 title race, but have been restricted to five podiums in 14 grands prix. All of those have been collected by Charles Leclerc, who is 42 points ahead of Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship standings at the summer break.

Danner – who made 36 starts in Formula 1 – believes Hamilton has reached a crucial crossroads in how he approaches his Ferrari career.

Much has been made of Hamilton’s documents submitted to Ferrari as team and driver look to engineer a breakthrough.

“He is currently trailing by two to three tenths of a second,” Danner said of Hamilton in a ran.de interview. “That may not seem like much, but at this level it is crucial.

“During the summer break, Hamilton has to decide for himself, does he want to follow Ferrari’s path, as the team dictates? Or will he try to change things so that they do what he wants? Both options take energy and the outcome is uncertain.

“If a driver doesn’t get what he expects from the car, he can’t reach his potential. We’ve seen this with big names. Think of Michael Schumacher at Mercedes. There, too, the car just wasn’t right for him.”

Hamilton’s situation at Ferrari seemingly hit a new low last time out in Hungary. Leclerc claimed his and Ferrari’s first pole of the season, while a “useless, absolutely useless” Hamilton – as he said of himself to Sky F1 – dropped out in Q2. He qualified and finished twelfth.

Hamilton, in the same interview, suggested Ferrari should find a replacement.

Danner though is highly sceptical regarding the true purpose of those comments from Hamilton.

“I found his public appearance a bit too self-flagellating,” he said. “To be honest, it was too theatrical for me to take it completely seriously.

“I think it was tactically motivated, a kind of wake-up call to Ferrari. It was more of a communication tool than genuine self-abandonment.”

Hamilton’s comments did spark question marks over his Ferrari and Formula 1 future, Danner weighing in on how that topic was received in the Hungarian GP paddock.

It cannot be ruled out, but Danner does not sense retirement is on the horizon for Formula 1’s most successful driver.

“That’s a valid question,” said Danner when asked if Hamilton will be there for Ferrari’s F1 2026 push. “I was in Budapest, and there was open talk about whether Hamilton might throw in the towel.

“On the one hand, that’s conceivable because he’s currently far from being competitive. On the other hand, that’s not Hamilton’s style. He’s a fighter and wants to prove to the world that he can still do it.

“Personally, I believe he will stay and see it through. But you can’t rule out retirement.”

Hamilton’s Ferrari contract is widely reported to run until the end of F1 2026, with the option to extend for a further year.