Lewis Hamilton has already cemented his legacy as the greatest driver in Formula One history and has no reason to prolong his career if Ferrari cannot give him a competitive car.

That is the view of 1996 champion Damon Hill.

Hamilton brought an end to his hugely successful 12-year stint with Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season, having won six of his seven drivers' titles with the Silver Arrows.

Only the great Michael Schumacher can match that total, while Hamilton has more race wins (105) and pole positions (104) than any other driver in F1 history.

However, Hamilton has struggled for pace since joining the Scuderia, with his fourth-placed finish at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix his joint-best showing in red (also P4 at Imola in May). He is sixth in the drivers' standings, already 125 points adrift of leader Oscar Piastri.

When Hamilton captured his first F1 championship, with McLaren in 2008, he became the first British driver to top the pile since Hill beat Williams team-mate Jacques Villeneuve to the prize 12 years earlier.

Hill believes Ferrari are currently unable to offer Hamilton the car he requires, saying: "Ferrari are not where they want to be. I know Lewis won a sprint race in China, but that seemed to be an anomaly. They have struggled a little bit since then. 

"Lewis is at the stage of his career where I think if he hasn't got a car that's quick, then he finds it more difficult to produce the performance. 

"He's spent a lot of years struggling with a car that wasn't that great at Mercedes, and he's gone off to Ferrari in the hope that it would change. I think he's holding his head above water at the moment, but I think it's a question of motivation. 

"If he gets to the point where he's exhausted by the whole thing, then it's going to be very difficult for him."

DRIVER STANDINGS (after 11/24 rounds)

Norris closes the gap to Piastri to 15 points #F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/z1pk0XbjKN

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2025

Asked if he thought Ferrari could help Hamilton win a record-breaking eighth title, Hill replied: "If it is a winning car, then you find extra motivation. 

"I think the idea of slogging it out with a car that is uncompetitive for another season or another two seasons, I just don't know if Lewis wants to really put himself through that, because he doesn't have to.

"He'll always go down in history as being the winningest – he's got seven titles and he's got more race wins and pole positions than anyone. He's already established that."

Hill also believes Hamilton deserves enormous credit for promoting inclusivity in F1, having become the first black driver on the grid when he made his debut in 2007.

"He was also the first black racing driver and almost unquestionably the quickest," Hill said. 

"If Max Verstappen gets eight world titles... that's a possibility, but you're always going to be talking about Lewis as the great of the sport and the first in other areas.

"I think he's found extra motivation after carrying the standard for being a black racing driver and supporting those interests. 

"I think he has always regarded himself as special and unique and different, and he's really made that clear. He has been true to himself in that regard. 

"It's an extraordinary achievement. I think he's got so much talent as a driver. I think when he was racing, I don't even know if sometimes he really had to try that hard. I think he was a bit bemused by how easy it was sometimes."

 

The new documentary, Hill, will be available on Sky and streaming service NOW in July.