Nico Rosberg was among the former racing drivers to weigh in on Lewis Hamilton and the idea of him retiring after a lacklustre first season with Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Hamilton<\/a> was informed that Rosberg and Co. had been having those discussions, but he has nothing to say to them, as \u201cthey\u2019re not even on my level.\u201d Hamilton cited his \u201clove for racing\u201d among the reasons why he will race on into F1 2026.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton: \u2018They\u2019re not even on my level\u2019<\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s move from Mercedes to Ferrari sent shockwaves throughout the world of Formula 1. It was a move designed to re-energise the career of the sport\u2019s most successful driver, but, we are still waiting for the Hamilton and Ferrari partnership to truly deliver.<\/p>\n Hamilton did win the Sprint in China, but went the entire F1 2025 season without a grand prix podium. That was the first time this had ever happened in his legendary F1 career.<\/p>\n Hamilton ended the season 86 points worse off than Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.<\/p>\n Those struggles sparked discussion among several past drivers over Hamilton\u2019s future in the series.<\/p>\n Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 World Championship as his Mercedes teammate, told Sky F1: \u201cHe\u2019s just really stuck, because retiring now, you can\u2019t retire now. I mean, who are they going to replace him with?<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s a bit of a loss of face, also, because, taking on this big project and then 12 months in, just because it\u2019s difficult, just retire. That doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosberg added that Hamilton\u2019s Ferrari struggles are \u201cputting a little scratch on his legacy now.\u201d<\/p>\n Six-time grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher told Sport.de that Hamilton \u201cneeds to let go\u201d for the good of Ferrari in F1 2026.<\/p>\n Sky F1 analyst Martin Brundle, meanwhile, poured cold water on the idea of Hamilton retiring off the back of F1 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trouble is his stats and his reputation is not being enhanced with this,\u201d Brundle warned.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I would have thought he will wait and see if Ferrari get it together for 2026, see how he\u2019s going, see how they\u2019re going, if he\u2019s enjoying it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think if we were asking that question a year from now, when he\u2019s had a difficult season\u2026 I would be very surprised if he just switches it off this winter.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton was informed by PlanetF1.com and other media outlets after the Abu Dhabi GP that Rosberg had been discussing the retirement question, as had others.<\/p>\n He was asked if he had any words in response.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t say anything to them,\u201d Hamilton came back with.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of them have done what I\u2019ve done. They\u2019re not even on my level.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Senior engineer reveals Lewis Hamilton Ferrari struggles \u2018worse from the outside than reality\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton billed 360k in Mercedes 2016 contract reveal<\/a><\/p>\n With that blunt retort, Hamilton confirmed that he is looking forward to \u201cdisconnecting, not speaking to anyone\u201d over the winter break. If they wanted to get in touch, they won\u2019t be able to, as Hamilton quipped that his phone is \u201cgoing in the freaking bin.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton therefore was asked to expand on his disconnection plans.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t wait to get away from all this. Every week, photo shoots and all that kind of stuff,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the thing I look forward to one day, not having to do it all [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n So, what exactly is keeping Hamilton in Formula 1, he was asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the love for what you do. It\u2019s love for racing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing support from people around me, my fans. It\u2019s that constant keeping an eye on the dream. I still have a dream, that I hold hope in my heart for, and that\u2019s what I work towards.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n