Schumacher: 'Hamilton to return to Mercedes? Would bet on these drivers instead'

10:02, 06 Aug

Updated: 11:18, 06 Aug

bySandy van Wijngaarden

Lewis Hamilton had a difficult weekend at the Hungaroring. The British driver finished outside of the points in P12. Especially after qualifying did Hamilton was downbeat when talking to the media.

Before joining Ferrari, Hamilton had a long and successful career at Mercedes, where he spent over a decade.

So far, he is yet to step on the podium with the Scuderia in a Grand Prix, but he did win the Italians' first Sprint in China, and finished third at the same event in Miami.

At the Hungaroring, after qualifying, the seven-time world champion even said on Sky Sports: "I'm useless, absolutely useless. The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. So we probably need to change driver."

Is a return for Hamilton at Mercedes still possible?

Discussing that possibility, the German doesn't believe that's the case. “No. I can't imagine that. Lewis is 40 and of course has certain requirements. These requirements are initially very high financially and the next thing is: how much longer can he keep this up. How much longer will he do this? I think the level is still good, but whether it's as good as it used to be, nobody knows,” Schumacher stated in the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.

Lewis Hamilton in Hungary

According to the former F1 driver, teams should focus more on young talents. “Bearman is doing great. Hadjar is doing great. Kimi is also doing very well, when it suits him. And of course Bortoleto, we have already discussed that. So these are four men you can really use, of whom you say: ‘Okay, there you have someone’. Now, for example, Alex Dunne and Lindblad at Red Bull are also pushing hard.”

Therefore, the German continued: “I would bet on the future. If I were the team boss, I would rather put a young boy with potential for the future in the car, whom I can also shape, who is not yet past his peak."