Romain Grosjean tells Lewis Hamilton why he ‘cannot’ retire from F1 after one bad season at Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton’s childhood dream of being a Ferrari driver turning into a nightmare in the 2025 F1 season has raised suggestions that the seven-time champion may retire.

Ferrari welcomed Hamilton to Maranello at the start of this year in the hope that he was the final piece of their puzzle. The 40-year-old even claimed the Scuderia had “every ingredient” to win their first F1 drivers’ championship since 2007 and first constructors’ title since 2008.

Yet Hamilton’s F1 Sprint win in China during round two this March proved to be a false dawn for his first term in red. His mood soured drastically as the year progressed, and 2025 would also see him fail to take a single Grand Prix podium for the first time in his 19-year F1 career.

Such was the plight he suffered through the 2025 season that Hamilton claimed he is living a “nightmare” at Ferrari, which saw president John Elkann tell the team’s drivers to “talk less”. Additionally, Hamilton called 2025 his “worst season ever”, which it ultimately proved to be.

Romain Grosjean thinks Lewis Hamilton has too much ‘pride’ to retire after a bad first season at Ferrari

Hamilton only scored 152 points during the 2025 season, which represents his worst tally so far under F1’s scoring system since 2010. The record 104-time polesitter is also now the first full-time Ferrari F1 driver ever to be knocked during Q1 across three successive Grands Prix.

READ MORE: Every F1 driver’s final radio message of 2025, as Lando Norris won the title

But Romain Grosjean believes Hamilton “cannot” tear up his contract with Ferrari and retire from F1 after such a frustrating season. The Frenchman does not think his old rival will want to hang up his helmet on a low, although retirement is just around the corner for the Briton.

Grosjean told Sport1: “You never know. Nico Rosberg, five days after being world champion, walked away from Formula 1. It was a shock. Is Lewis going to walk away? I don’t think so.

“I think he has pride and he has a competitiveness that he wants to do well, and he cannot finish on a season like he just did. So, my guess is he’s going to be here in 2026. But 2026 could be one of his last [seasons in F1].

“Also, he’s not young anymore. He’s not old. But for a race car driver, he’s on the older side, and he’s been competing in Formula 1 since 2007. It’s a world that takes a lot out of you. So, eventually, you get tired of it and want to go home.”

Lewis Hamilton’s hopes for a better second season hinge on Ferrari’s car for the 2026 F1 regulations

Hamilton qualified last on pure pace for the first time ever in Las Vegas during round 22/24 in November, as the record 105-time Grand Prix winner struggled in the worst of the heavy rain in Sin City. Ferrari struggled to get the Pirelli tyres into the right window for the conditions.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 F1 engine and aero regulations

But while Hamilton could blame Ferrari’s historic issues in the wet for his lack of pace in Q1 in Nevada, he could only blame himself in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Hamilton qualified P18 for the F1 Sprint and Grand Prix in Qatar, and another Q1 exit then followed with P16 in Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari and Hamilton will hope that his struggles in qualifying will ease next season with the introduction of F1’s 2026 regulations to replace the ground-effect cars, which he has never liked. Next year’s cars should better suit his preference to brake late and carry more speed.

But Hamilton’s hope for a better second season will also hinge on Ferrari’s car for the 2026 regulations. Ferrari will use push-rod suspension in 2026 instead of the pull-rods they used in 2025. But Ferrari cannot silence fears about their 2026 rules engine not being on course.