It has not been the start to life at Ferrari that Lewis Hamilton had hoped for, so is it time for him to leave F1?
Lewis Hamilton was at his lowest ebb for many a year following Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
In addressing the written media after the race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton had no answers for a performance in which he was so far off the pace of team-mate Charles Leclerc.
From fifth on the grid, Hamilton was instructed to let Leclerc by relatively early on, after which he gritted his teeth through to the chequered flag and a seventh-placed finish before being promoted one position due to a penalty for Max Verstappen.
The seven-time F1 champion simply nodded when asked if he was annoyed, and he indicated he wanted to leave as soon as possible, which was understandable given the circumstances.
It has certainly not been the fanfare start to Hamilton’s Ferrari career that had been hoped for, with the one bright spot his sprint win in the second grand prix weekend of the season in China. It was a positive start. Since then, he has predominantly struggled.
Hamilton has a two-year contract with Ferrari, with an option to extend. In many respects, this year is being viewed as one for him to build a relationship with the team in the final year of a regulation set that he has never enjoyed, given the cars he has driven.
With a sweeping new rule change on the horizon for 2026, perhaps that could be Hamilton’s year to shine again.
But given his demeanour on Sunday, perhaps he has other thoughts on his mind.