Martin Brundle makes ‘painful’ Lewis Hamilton Ferrari future prediction after ‘downbeat’ Hungarian Grand Prix

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Nobody associated with Formula 1 ever wants to see a driver come out after a session and start to question their future in the sport.

Lewis Hamilton is among the very best drivers ever to race in Formula 1 and has watched some all-time greats come and go during his career.

It appeared as though his path wasn’t going to cross with Michael Schumacher before he made an unexpected return with Mercedes, which led to a single podium and pole position in three seasons.

Sebastian Vettel became a four-time world champion during Hamilton’s time on the grid, but his final season on the grid saw him finish 12th in the drivers’ championship with a middling Aston Martin team.

Kimi Raikkonen endured the same problem at Alfa Romeo, Jenson Button struggled through McLaren’s lowest ebb in decades before walking away, and of F1’s most recently retired champions, only Nico Rosberg went out on a real high.

The Hungarian Grand Prix was particularly painful for Hamilton, as he watched Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc claim pole position and only miss out on at least a podium, if not victory, because of a technical fault.

Hamilton was downbeat over the team radio after the race, and for the first time this season, failed to add a point to his tally during a race weekend.

Damon Hill has warned Hamilton that ‘it gets harder’ the longer his F1 career continues to perform at the very highest level, and Martin Brundle has made a worrying prediction about his Ferrari future after watching him at the Hungaroring.

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Martin Brundle ‘can’t see’ Lewis Hamilton spending more than two seasons at Ferrari

Brundle was reflecting on the Hungarian Grand Prix for Sky Sports, and when looking back at Hamilton’s weekend, he said: “I’m not looking forward to writing this next section, it’s about Lewis Hamilton, who endured what must have been one of the worst weekends of his career, in and out of the car.

“He struggled for ultimate pace in qualifying, and with the pack so close, he would start only 12th when his team-mate Leclerc was on pole. He would then describe himself as “useless” in post-qualifying interviews and suggest the team should change the driver. That was best left unsaid, but he obviously wanted to openly punish himself.

“He’s clearly in a difficult place personally, and during the race, he would finish in that same 12th position, never really showing signs of progress.

“He sat in the car in parc ferme post-race for what seemed an age, was very downbeat in interviews again, and then declined to attend a stewards’ enquiry about a rather ambitious move Max Verstappen made on him during the race in the blind and fast turn Four, in which Lewis chose to drive off the road to avoid contact.

“He didn’t want to contest the incident and conceded via his team, but Max did attend the meeting with a rational explanation from his viewpoint, and avoided a penalty.

“The summer break couldn’t be more timely for Lewis to have a reset. It’s painful to observe this great champion in so much strife, and we have to expect that he can weather the storm and return to form given his talent and experience, but otherwise I simply can’t see him enduring two more seasons at Ferrari, or anywhere else, like this.”

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Lewis Hamilton admits he still loves racing despite initial Ferrari struggles

There will inevitably be questions surrounding Hamilton’s future after he suggested that Ferrari should ‘change drivers’ after his Q2 exit in Hungary.

However, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur still fully backs Hamilton, and at this stage, the seven-time world champion’s work on their 2026 car might be his most valuable asset.

Hamilton said he still loved racing after Sunday’s Grand Prix, even if a visit to one of his favourite circuits didn’t end in the way he would have liked.

Stefano Domenicali has predicted Hamilton to bounce back from his recent downturn in form, but with only 10 Grand Prix weekends left this season, he’s running out of time to secure that coveted first podium finish as a Ferrari driver.

The Italian Grand Prix is just around the corner, and would be the perfect place for him to thank the Tifosi for their support this season.