Ex-Formula 1 driver turned pundit Martin Brundle has questioned if Lewis Hamilton could “do a Michael Schumacher” and join a team in need of help, something the legendary German did in 1996 after leaving the security of Benetton for Ferrari, who at the time weren’t challenging for titles.
Hamilton has reached a tricky point in his career, with the 38-year-old’s days in the sport being numbered.
As it stands, his career looks likely to end on a low-point, with Mercedes having slipped to fourth in the pecking order following the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
The likelihood is that he won’t be in the title fight in 2023, with some even questioning if Mercedes will ever be in a title fight again.
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Hamilton has been incredibly successful at Mercedes since joining the Germans in 2013, with him having claimed six drivers’ championships.
Given how well he’s done at the Silver Arrows, it would make sense if he chooses to stay at Mercedes beyond 2023, with his current contract set to expire this season.
Brundle, though, wonders if Hamilton could be tempted to move to Ferrari and help rebuild the Maranello-based team, similar to how fellow seven-time world champion Schumacher did.
The Sky Sports F1 pundit believes Hamilton will be having that discussion with his father and his management team, with Brundle believing that the 103-time race winner might “love to go” to the Scuderia.
“There are a lot of good reasons to stay at Mercedes,” Brundle told the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
“He just needs them to tell him how they’re going to sort this out.
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“But you know, Senna left McLaren to go to Williams, Schumacher went off to Ferrari and it took a long, long time, but he made that work. So these great drivers are not scared of going somewhere and then galvanising and getting a lot of new people around them and making something happen.
“I think there must be part of Lewis that thinks. I’d love to go to Ferrari and do a Michael Schumacher if I can’t win my eighth or ninth right now. Why don’t I go and have some fun there?
“I’m sure these are all playing in his mind and he will be talking to his dad and his management team about where do we go from here and that will be exacerbated by the dismal performance in Bahrain”.