Damon Hill sends Lewis Hamilton an ‘it gets harder’ warning after he told Ferrari to consider replacing him

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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton suffered one of his toughest weekends since leaving Mercedes at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

It wasn’t the first time that Lewis Hamilton had been caught out in qualifying since joining Ferrari.

At the previous weekend in Spa, the seven-time world champion failed to get out of Q1 for both races, and it needed a Hamilton tactical masterclass during the Belgian Grand Prix to score six points.

Unfortunately, the Hungarian Grand Prix is notorious for overtaking being far more difficult, as Hamilton found out to his detriment on Sunday.

Ferrari gambled on putting Hamilton on a one-stop strategy, and while that ultimately helped Lando Norris win the race, the 40-year-old was on the wrong tyres at the start.

He was stuck in a DRS train for much of the race, and by the time he switched onto the medium tyres, he could only make enough progress to finish twelfth.

Hamilton was told to lift and coast from the start of the race, limiting his potential to make progress.

It added to his misery from after qualifying, as for the first time since joining Ferrari, he failed to add to his points tally over a race weekend.

Damon Hill has now reacted to Hamilton’s race weekend and the issues he encountered.

Ralf Schumacher has suggested Hamilton’s performance reflects when he retired from racing, and Hill’s latest comment isn’t a million miles away from that sentiment.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Damon Hill tells Lewis Hamilton ‘it gets harder’ in Formula 1 after Hungarian Grand Prix misery

Hamilton was despondent across the race weekend when speaking to the media, and after qualifying, he admitted: “I’m useless, absolutely useless.

“The team, they have no problem – you’ve seen the car is on pole. So, they probably need to change driver.”

Hamilton admitted he still loves racing after Sunday’s Grand Prix, and team principal Fred Vasseur has no concerns about actually needing to replace the seven-time world champion.

Hill responded on social media to Sunday’s race and said: “Just seen the race. Good race. The way we like it.

“Bit of a brave move by Oscar. Could have ended… differently! Sad to see Sir Lewis so downhearted.

“It’s tough to know when it’s time. Another year? It gets harder. Maybe a good holiday is needed?”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Lewis Hamilton makes ‘don’t count me out’ admission after the Hungarian Grand Prix

Hamilton is still waiting to stand on the podium for the first time as a Ferrari driver, and his Sprint Race in China now feels like a distant memory.

Teammate Charles Leclerc had problems of his own during Sunday’s race, and what looked like a guaranteed top-three and potentially even a race-winning performance eventually turned into a P4 finish.

Speaking in his official post-race interview, Hamilton said: “It’s been a challenging weekend and one to move on from.

“We weren’t able to make the progress we hoped for, but I’m grateful for the effort everyone in the team put in throughout the weekend.

“Now we head into the break. I’ll be using the time to reset, recharge and come back stronger. I’m not where I want to be yet, but the fight’s not over – don’t count me out.”

Stefano Domenicali has backed Hamilton to thrive after the summer break, and nobody is denying he’s got the talent to succeed.

However, whether he can gel quickly enough with this Ferrari to challenge Leclerc and the two McLarens is one of the many fascinating storylines to keep an eye on after the summer break.