Hamilton Casts Doubt Over Future In F1 After Poor Finish For Ferrari In Hungary

Lewis Hamilton gave a remarkably downbeat response, prompting questions astir his early successful Formula One, aft he managed only 12th spot successful nan Hungarian Grand Prix, won by McLaren’s Lando Norris, nan erstwhile world champion suggesting he was successful nary small turmoil and that he would “hopefully” return erstwhile F1 resumes aft nan summertime break.

Having qualified successful 12th spot successful Budapest, describing nan capacity arsenic “absolutely useless” and stating that Ferrari should find different driver, he appeared arsenic unimpressed pinch his thrust to 12th spot successful nan title connected Sunday.

Afterwards he gave a dejected reply erstwhile asked astir his comments from Saturday. “When you person a feeling, you person a feeling,” he said. “There is simply a batch going connected successful nan inheritance that is not great.”

He did not elucidate connected whether nan issues were personal, aliases related to his profession and Ferrari, but erstwhile asked if he was disillusioned pinch racing said: “No, I still emotion it, I still emotion nan team.”

He was, however, unusually unengaged aft nan title astatine nan Hungaroring. He gave monosyllabic answers to questions and erstwhile asked why, said: “I person sewage thing other to say.”

He leaves nan paddock connected tenterhooks pinch nan summertime break opening and nan adjacent information not until nan Dutch GP connected 31 August, astir which he was likewise cryptic. He was “very much” looking guardant to nan break, but erstwhile asked if he would beryllium driving astatine nan adjacent round, was little equivocal: “I look guardant to coming backmost … Hopefully I will beryllium back, yeah.”

His Ferrari squad principal, Fred Vasseur, maintained that his driver was conscionable disheartened by a reliable weekend. “I don’t request to motivate him, honestly, he’s frustrated, but not demotivated,” he said. “I tin perfectly understand nan situation. He’s demanding. But that’s why he’s a seven-time world champion.

Lewis Hamilton is watched by spectators connected his measurement to 12th spot astatine nan Hungarian Grand Prix. Photograph: Zoltán Balogh/EPA

“He’s demanding pinch nan team, pinch nan car, pinch nan engineers, pinch nan mechanics, pinch myself but first of all, he’s very demanding pinch himself. I tin understand nan vexation from Lewis. This is normal. He will travel back.”

Hamilton’s erstwhile squad main astatine Mercedes, Toto Wolff, besides felt he would bounce back. “Lewis is wearing his bosom connected his sleeve. It was very earthy what he said [on Saturday], he was difficult connected himself,” Wolff said. “We person seen it earlier erstwhile he felt he had not met his ain expectations. He’s been that emotionally transparent since he was a young adult.

“Lewis has unfinished business successful Formula One. You inquire maine if he still has it? He decidedly has it.”