Lewis Hamilton’s contract with Ferrari is up at the end of next year, and given his fairytale hasn’t happened as he would’ve hoped, it’s been rumoured by several senior members of the paddock that, for the first time in his 19-year-long career at the pinnacle of motorsport, one of the 20 most coveted seats in the world may not be a guarantee for the 40-year-old beyond when his deal ends at the end of 2026.
Though Hamilton’s fortunes have improved in recent races, especially as he was on for a solid result in Mexico before a very harsh 10-second penalty for cutting the track and gaining an advantage came his way, the results delivered in 2025 have fallen short of what was expected when the monumental announcement that he would end his 12-year association with Mercedes to move across to Maranello was made in February 2024.
Lewis Hamilton’s Struggles at Ferrari in 2025
The man from Stevenage has been behind the wheel of the SF-25 in all 20 races so far this season, but has failed to achieve a top-three finish in any Grand Prix. Though, success has come more easily in the Sprint Races, including a victory in the format at the Chinese GP.
Hamilton’s race wins, podiums, and pole positions in his debut year with the Scuderia all stand at zero with just a few races remaining of the 2025 season. It’s a far cry from even his last three years with the Silver Arrows, which was when the Brackley team had to deal with not being the dominant outfit they had been from 2014 to 2020.
They were on par with Red Bull in 2021, taking a seventh straight Constructors’ Championship, but the Brit himself was controversially handed second place in the Drivers’ Championship, missing out on what would’ve been a record-breaking eighth world title.
In the eyes of die-hard fans, Hamilton’s misfortune in red won’t take away from his previous 356 races, in which he has taken 105 wins, 202 podiums, 104 pole positions, 68 fastest laps, and over 5,000 career points. However, unfortunately for number 44, the fans don’t make the decisions.
Instead, the reality is that Formula One is a cutthroat business, with teams always looking for the best drivers to pilot their cars. It seems even a seven-time world champion isn’t immune, as it’s looking likely that the 404 races Hamilton will have done at the end of 2026 will be his final ones with the Prancing Horse, and potentially his last in the sport altogether.
‘Senior Paddock Figures’ Have Say on Lewis Hamilton’s Future
ESPN, after seeking out the opinions of big names in the paddock, has said that the general conception of those they have spoken to is that the team are not looking to extend their agreement with Hamilton.
The Brit is reported to have the option of continuing on with the team for 2027, but with what’s been happening on the track, added to the communication difficulties he has had with the team, specifically his race engineer, and the team apparently not taking on his feedback, the outcome of the two parties mutually agreeing to part at the end of next season is increasingly becoming a real possibilIty.
On the flip side, if Ferrari can get on top of the new regulations coming into the sport in the final year of their marquee signing’s deal, maybe the two will continue and 2025 will just be seen as a mere bump in the road, or track.
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