Lewis Hamilton’s ‘career could be over’ with George Russell tipped to ‘get on his nerves’ | F1 | Sports

Lewis Hamilton could retire from F1 if he doesn’t win his eighth world title by the end of next season, according to Gerhard Berger. The former Ferrari driver claimed Hamilton could lose the ‘desire’ to chase the record if he cannot secure the title soon.

The Austrian even said Hamilton might have ‘lost the chance’ to become the all-time greatest last season when Max Verstappen pipped him on the last lap. Speaking to SpeedWeek, Berger said: “Lewis is driven by the desire to become the sole record champion.

“The title that slipped through his fingers against Verstappen last year was perhaps the last chance to be the sole record world champion. From the current perspective, it is quite possible that he won’t win this eighth title. If it doesn’t work out this year and possibly next year, then his career could be over.

“After so many races, so much dominance and so many successes, I can imagine that in this situation the desire is lost.” Hamilton failed to score any points at Imola just weeks on from finishing 10th in Saudi Arabia.

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Red Bull chief helmet Marko also claimed Hamilton should have “stopped last year” after Verstappen lapped him at Imola. Hamilton seemed to address his future in a cryptic social media message earlier this week.

The caption read: “Working on my masterpiece, I’ll be the one to decide when it’s finished.” The message was followed by a defiant snap of the Briton standing in the Mercedes garage.

He also addressed the rumors head-on last weekend, claiming he was still committed to the Silver Arrows.

He said: “There is nowhere else I want to be, just because we have hit a rough patch, it is not in my DNA to back out. We can fix this. It is going to be a painful year that we are going to have to ride out together.”