05 September 2023 , 16:06
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Sir Jackie Stewart believes Lewis Hamilton "no longer has the hunger" to challenge Max Verstappen for Formula 1 glory.
Hamilton, 38, last week committed his future to Mercedes by signing a contract extension. It will keep him with the team and in F1 until the end of the 2025 season, a few weeks shy of his 41st birthday.
He hopes those two extra years will give him the chance to win a record-breaking eighth drivers' title. But Sir Jackie, himself a three-time champion, is not convinced the Brit still has the hunger to get the better of Verstappen, whose Red Bull team continues to dominate.
"First of all, Lewis is one of the best to ever drive in Formula 1," he told German newspaper BILD. "But the truth is that in the last decade he competed with Mercedes for a team that was virtually out of competition.
"During this time, Lewis only had one real competitor – his respective team-mate. Except for 2016, he always emerged victorious from the duel. And then he lost to Nico Rosberg. With respect, [Rosberg is] a good driver, but not the most talented in the world.
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"But Rosberg was hungry and had the absolute will to become world champion. Lewis no longer has that hunger. Because of that – and because the car is no longer quite as powerful – he has serious problems."
Hamilton is tied with Michael Schumacher on seven F1 titles apiece. The German came out of retirement for three seasons with Mercedes but got nowhere near a championship challenge, and Sir Jackie, 84, thinks the Silver Arrows' lack of performance means Hamilton won't fare any better.
Not only that, but the Scot is convinced that the Brit will not switch teams like Schumacher, synonymous with the Ferrari name, did. The Italian team was interested in Hamilton amid his lengthy contract stand-off with Mercedes, but quickly learned that he held no interest in leaving his current employer.
Stewart added: "That [eighth title] also depends on Mercedes. It's not impossible, but I still don't think he'll be able to do it. And I don't think – despite the rumours about Ferrari – that he will change teams again."