Max Verstappen just gave Lewis Hamilton one big reason to retire from F1 without mentioning his name

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Lewis Hamilton crashed out of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix in an exceedingly rare sight. An innocuous-looking error at turn three landed him in the barriers with terminal damage.

Hamilton also beached his Mercedes car in the gravel at last year’s United States GP, but before that, he hadn’t retired from a race due to an unforced error since 2009.

David Coulthard says Hamilton faces an ‘uncomfortable conversation’ as he makes highly uncharacteristic mistakes. The track had become slippery due to a rain shower, but he has historically thrived in those conditions.

The result was that Hamilton failed to score points for the second consecutive race; this has only happened twice since he left McLaren at the end of 2012. Trailing teammate Charles Leclerc 25-8 in the overall head-to-head, he’s moved a step closer to a season without a podium.

Max Verstappen knows that F1 will stop being ‘fun’ at some point

In an interview with ESPN during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton’s one-time arch-rival Max Verstappen was asked about his long-term future. He’s indicated that he doesn’t want to stay in F1 until his 40s, but he’s still getting better at this stage of his career.

The Dutchman will know it’s time to retire when F1 stops being ‘fun’. It’s hard to imagine that Hamilton has found much enjoyment in a season with so few highs and relentless lows.

Indeed, Hamilton remarkably called himself ‘useless’ in an interview just before the summer break and suggested that Ferrari should replace him, comments that sparked the retirement discussion.

Verstappen says he’ll step aside for ‘the young guys’ to protect his own reputation when his speed starts to decline. While Hamilton has clearly struggled to adapt to the Ferrari, two consecutive career-worst seasons raise legitimate concerns over his ultimate speed in his 19th season.

• READ MORE: Bernie Ecclestone urges Lewis Hamilton to retire given the ‘danger’ he now faces staying at Ferrari

“I would like to drive a little bit more [after F1], but I also actually don’t mind the more like manager side of things, you know, to see other drivers compete in your car, your team,” Verstappen said. “So yeah, I mean, it’s not so easy to fully answer that right now.

“It also just depends a bit on how much fun it all is, you know, for myself, how fast you are as well because at one point you will get slower with age and then maybe it’s better to put the young guys in … because you don’t want to also look like an idiot!”

Max Verstappen replacing Lewis Hamilton? It’s not as unrealistic as you might think

One theory is that Verstappen would like to replace Hamilton at Ferrari when he does eventually leave. He’s been assessing his options outside of Red Bull.

Indeed, Jos Verstappen says his son has looked at Ferrari, in addition to well-known suitors Mercedes. The timelines could align.

Hamilton’s contract expires at the end of 2026, though he has the option to extend it for another year. Based on the factors Verstappen outlined above, he may have little appetite to continue.

Meanwhile, Verstappen is free to leave Red Bull for 2027 if he isn’t satisfied with their performance under the regulations. That would effectively give him his pick of teams, with the likely exception of McLaren.