Steiner’s ominous forecast hanging over Hamilton’s Ferrari dream

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has cast a dark cloud Lewis Hamilton’s tenure with Ferrari, warning that if Formula 1’s 2026 regulations fail to spark a turnaround, the seven-time world champion’s time in the sport could soon be “over.”

Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello for 2025 was meant to be a storybook chapter, a union between the sport’s most decorated driver and its most storied team. Instead, the first half of the season has yielded frustration, inconsistency, and a growing sense that the magic will never happen.

The Briton himself has publicly called his performances “useless,” as he is yet to produce a Grand Prix podium with the Scuderia.

Even his early sprint race win in China feels like a false dawn. Speaking to Web.de, a candid Steiner, still a keen observer of all things F1, cut to the heart of Hamilton’s struggles.

“He’s not useless, but at the moment he’s not delivering what was expected of him,” the Italian said. “He’s dissatisfied with himself. And the public expectations are huge - maybe too huge.

“The fact is: he’s not getting into gear at Ferrari. The direct comparison with his team-mate is always the most telling. And there you can see, Charles Leclerc is better.

“I’ve always said, you have to give Hamilton time until the summer. But as things stand, he simply hasn’t met expectations.”

For Steiner, Hamilton’s real battle is internal.

“He’s lost his self-confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself anymore, you can’t perform,” he warned. “We just have to remember: when his move to Ferrari was announced, it was a huge hype - even for me.

“The seven-time world champion at the Scuderia - that sounded like a fairy tale. And of course, he himself expected a lot from it. But when reality doesn’t live up to expectations, you lose faith in yourself.”

A Summer of Reckoning, A Future in Doubt

With the summer break underway, Steiner painted the next few weeks as a decisive point in Hamilton’s Ferrari saga.

“Maybe he comes back after the break more relaxed and the performance improves. But maybe it doesn’t, and then I could well imagine him saying at the end of the year: 'That’s it. I’m not putting myself through another year of this.'

“He has many interests outside Formula 1, he’s a brand in his own right. Many drivers need F1 as a platform. Lewis doesn’t anymore. And that makes it easier for him to draw a line under it.”

And if Hamilton does carry on into 2026, the reset offered by new technical regulations may be his final gamble.

“Lewis had difficulties with the new ground-effect cars from the start. And in 2026, there will be new cars, new engines, and nobody knows who will be strong then.

“Maybe he’ll say: 'I’ll give that a try.' But if that doesn’t work either, then it’s over. And not from one day to the next - if he wanted to retire, he would communicate it in time so the team can find a replacement.”

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For now, Steiner’s words slice through a haze of speculation. But it’s undeniable that Hamilton, once untouchable, now stands on fragile ground.

The move to Ferrari that was billed as destiny may instead prove the harbinger of an ending.

Unless 2026 brings salvation, the sport may soon witness the most decorated driver in its history walking away – not with one last blaze of glory, but with the cold acceptance of a champion who knew when the dream had died.

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