Guenther Steiner: If 2026 regulations don’t work for Lewis Hamilton “then it’s over”

Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes that if the 2026 regulations do not work for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, then his time in the series will be "over".

Hamilton joined Ferrari at the start of 2025 after a 12-year stint with Mercedes. Although expectations were high for the British driver's arrival, he has not been able to adjust to the team as quickly as he would have hoped. Fans saw a glimmer of success with Hamilton's Chinese sprint race victory at the start of the season, but he has not been able to finish higher than fourth in a grand prix.

The 40-year-old told the media during the Hungarian Grand Prix that he was "useless" and that Ferrari might want to consider a different driver.

"He’s not useless, but at the moment he’s not delivering what was expected of him," Steiner commented on Hamilton's remarks to Web.de. "He’s dissatisfied with himself. And the public expectations are huge - maybe too huge.

"The fact is: he’s not getting into gear at Ferrari. The direct comparison with his team-mate is always the most telling. And there you can see: Charles Leclerc is better. I’ve always said, you have to give Hamilton time until the summer. But as things stand, he simply hasn’t met expectations."

Steiner argued that the Ferrari driver has lost his self-confidence since moving to the Maranello outfit.

"He’s lost his self-confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself anymore, you can’t perform," the former Haas chief added. "We just have to remember: when his move to Ferrari was announced, it was a huge hype - even for me.

Guenther Steiner, Miami Grand Prix Ambassador

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

"The seven-time world champion at the Scuderia - that sounded like a fairy tale. And of course, he himself expected a lot from it. But when reality doesn’t live up to expectations, you lose faith in yourself."

The former Haas team principal claimed that the summer break will be a "moment of reflection" for Hamilton and will either result in him returning "more relaxed" leading to improved performance, or in him leaving the championship at the end of the year.

"Maybe he comes back after the break more relaxed and the performance improves. But maybe it doesn’t, and then I could well imagine him saying at the end of the year: 'That’s it. I’m not putting myself through another year of this.' He has many interests outside Formula 1, he’s a brand in his own right. Many drivers need F1 as a platform. Lewis doesn’t anymore. And that makes it easier for him to draw a line under it."

He added: "Lewis had difficulties with the new ground-effect cars from the start. And in 2026, there will be new cars, new engines, and nobody knows who will be strong then. Maybe he’ll say: 'I’ll give that a try.' But if that doesn’t work either, then it’s over. And not from one day to the next - if he wanted to retire, he would communicate it in time so the team can find a replacement."