'It’s time to vacate the cockpits' - Lewis Hamilton given harsh retirement advice amid Ferrari struggles

Formula One icon Lewis Hamilton has been told 'it's time' to call it quits and make way for the next generation of drivers.

Hamilton failed to secure a single podium finish in his first season with Ferrari but he took third ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc in Shanghai in March.

The English driver, now 41, hasn't won an F1 Grand Prix on the track since he came first at Silverstone two years ago, and a former rival believes it's time to call it a day at the end of the 2026 season.

"Hamilton is in a better position again this year," said Ralf Schumacher, who won six Grands Prix with Williams after the turn of the century and is now a pundit for Sky Sport Germany.

"But over the course of the season, he won’t stand a chance against Leclerc.

"It’s time [to retire]. And I have to say the same about Fernando Alonso: Hamilton and Alonso have had a wonderful time in Formula 1, but now it’s time for both of them to vacate their cockpits at the end of the year and give young people a chance."

Schumacher, whose brother Michael shares the record number of world drivers' championships with Hamilton, has tipped Oliver Bearman to take his fellow Englishman's seat.

The 21-year-old from Essex is Ferrari-trained and continues to race within the stable as part of the Haas team this season. He achieved a career-best fourth place in Mexico City last year and finished fifth in Shanghai at the start of the 2026 season.

"If [Bearman] gets the chance, he’ll even pose a challenge to Charles Leclerc," said Schumacher.

"I’m pretty sure of that. So I’d say he’s actually better."

Ferrari 'not capable' of winning races in 2026

The prospect of Hamilton calling time on his career has been mooted in the context of Ferrari's failings since his arrival from Mercedes after the 2024 season.

Scuderia finished fourth in the constructors' championship in 2025, failing to win a race for the first time since 2021.

Journalist Louis Dekker and former F3 driver Jeroen Bleekemolen agreed on the NOS-F1 podcast that Hamilton is likely to announce his retirement at Silverstone in July.

"Besides the excellent starts, they are not capable of fighting for victories," said Dekker.

"I think Hamilton will announce his retirement at Silverstone at the end of this season."

Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell lead the way in the early-season drivers' standings.

Russell took the chequered flag in the season opener in Melbourne but the Italian has finished first in all three subsequent Grands Prix.