He started and finished the race in 12th, briefly suggesting after qualifying that team principal Fred Vasseur<\/a> should \u2018change drivers\u2019, such was his underperformance in his head.<\/p>\n However, Hamilton admitted he still loved racing<\/a> after the Grand Prix, and there are plenty of reasons for the seven-time world champion to be rejuvenated after the summer shutdown.<\/p>\n Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 284 2 275 3 187 4 172 5 151 6 109 7 64 8 54 9 37 10 27 <\/p>\n Ferrari\u2019s update package introduced at Spa<\/a> appears to be working, even if Charles Leclerc lost out on victory at the Hungaroring when his race fell off a cliff in the final stint.<\/p>\n If Hamilton can unlock that same potential, there\u2019s no reason why he can\u2019t end his podium drought sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n However, Hamilton\u2019s contract runs until the end of next season<\/a>, and he will soon have to start considering his next steps after his Ferrari deal expires.<\/p>\n Hamilton controls his one-year extension in his Ferrari deal<\/a>, but journalist Antonio Ghini believes he\u2019ll have a very different approach to retirement once he reaches that moment than Michael Schumacher<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton\u2019s life outside F1 from net worth to family<\/a><\/p>\n Ghini was speaking on Motorsport Italia\u2019s YouTube channel about next steps after F1 and said: \u201cI asked him [Schumacher], was he there? Was it perhaps the last time he was officially there, and what will he do now?<\/p>\n \u201cHe said, \u2018I\u2019m going to swim with the whales!\u2019 He then started this unrealistic attempt to ride a motorbike with the risk of hurting himself, and he had hurt his famous neck.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, he accepted with enthusiasm and confidence the invitation from Mercedes, refusing to use the excuse with his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cBut before the negotiation with Mercedes, there was already the possibility of taking back the car that Felipe Massa had left after his accident in Hungary.<\/p>\n SEASONTEAMWINSPOLESPODIUMSPOINTS2008McLaren5710982014Mercedes117163842015Mercedes1011173812017Mercedes911133632018Mercedes1111174082019Mercedes115174132020Mercedes111014347Lewis Hamilton\u2019s Formula 1 drivers\u2019 championship-winning seasons<\/p>\n \u201cSchumacher\u2019s exit had been a very laborious exit. He was no longer finding himself, and the discussion of changing cars for Hamilton is not trivial, because we see it also with Sainz.<\/p>\n \u201cThese complicated cars require a lot from some people; there are others who adapt.<\/p>\n \u201cHamilton is in a situation where he certainly begins to ask himself, \u2018Do I continue or do I stop? Do I continue here or somewhere else?<\/p>\n \u201cThere would be, I think, no alternative. He\u2019s not someone like Schumacher, for example, about endurance races and so on.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have seven world titles, you find yourself with a question that, if normal people think about it, if you have millions in the bank, all in all, this drama of what to do next would be surmountable.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the moment Hamilton is going through today is a very difficult one psychologically, which won\u2019t happen to Verstappen.<\/p>\n \u201cVerstappen doesn\u2019t have a car to challenge, but he\u2019s calm, serene, and accepted it like this.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1 legend Michael Schumacher from net worth to career stats<\/a><\/p>\n How Michael Schumacher missed out on an unlikely Ferrari comeback after his first F1 retirement<\/p>\n Schumacher walked away from Ferrari in 2006 after watching Fernando Alonso win back-to-back drivers\u2019 championships<\/a>.<\/p>\n He made his return to the sport in 2010, something Ghini doesn\u2019t believe Hamilton will do when he eventually decides to retire, but Schumacher could have come back sooner.<\/p>\n Grand Prix starts306Pole positions68Wins91Podiums155Fastest laps77Career points1566World championships7Michael Schumacher\u2019s Formula 1 record<\/p>\n The previous year, Felipe Massa suffered an awful injury at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227940224-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Marco Canoniero\/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLewis Hamilton unlikely to continue wanting to race like Michael Schumacher after F1 retirement<\/p>\n