Red Bull chief Helmut Marko believes Lewis Hamilton is holding onto hope of hitting the “jackpot” with Ferrari for the 2026 Formula 1 season, whilst he continues to struggle this year.
The British driver signed a multi-year deal with the Scuderia at the start of 2024, ending his 13-year stint at Mercedes.
In the months leading up to the 2025 season, the anticipation and hype began to build up as Hamilton neared his debut for his new team around the streets of Melbourne.
However, the only highlight of his Ferrari career so far has been his Sprint Race victory in China.
A fifth-place finish in Bahrain has been his best result so far on a Sunday in the opening five rounds of the 2025 campaign.
The last race weekend in Jeddah ended with Hamilton insisting that he was in for a ‘painful’ season.
Marko recently offered his take on the seven-time World Champion’s situation.
“He does indeed seem desperate,” Marko told F1-Insider.com.
“But I believe that he is waiting for the 2026 car and hopes that Ferrari will not only achieve the jackpot with this car, but that the Scuderia will also build a car that he can handle better.”
The Ferrari racing driver, however, has issued a rallying cry to not go down without a fight at an event in London, in front of his adoring fans.
“Please keep your fingers crossed; I’m not going to give up,” he said.
“We’re going to keep getting better.
“Still we rise, right?”
Former F1 driver suggests Hamilton could ‘hang up his helmet’ soon
One person who shares the view of the Austrian technical advisor is Ralf Schumacher.
The German, however, went one step further as he implied that Hamilton will retire at the end of his contract due to his lack of form.
“Lewis seems perplexed and desperate, both in what he says and in his body language,” Schumacher told Sky Germany’s Backstage Pit Lane podcast.
“I know from my own experience that at some point you wake up in the morning and realise that there is no point in continuing to drive.
“You don’t want to stand in the way of your team.
“I hope Lewis gets his act together, but I’m afraid he’ll hang up his helmet before his contract ends.”
Schumacher’s comments come after Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari Team Principal, expressed support for his driver.
The Frenchman insisted that he “will be 2000 per cent behind him” as Hamilton searches for the solution to his recent difficulties with the car.
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