Lewis Hamilton’s recent struggles with Ferrari in the 2025 Formula 1 season have sparked intense speculation and calls for his retirement, while Formula 1 leadership is considering bold changes to the Sprint race format to boost the sport’s excitement and fan engagement.
Hamilton, the seven-time World Champion, began the 2025 season with Ferrari amid high expectations, but his performance has fallen short. After 14 race weekends, Hamilton has yet to secure a main race podium and currently sits sixth in the Drivers’ Championship standings with 109 points.
He trails considerably behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who has 151 points and multiple podium finishes. Hamilton’s difficulties culminated at the Hungarian Grand Prix where he delivered a harsh self-assessment, calling himself “useless” and even suggesting Ferrari should consider a driver change.
This public moment of self-doubt intensified retirement rumors, especially after Hamilton teased an announcement on social media for August 8, 2025, leading fans to fear the end of his illustrious career. However, the announcement turned out to be a marketing reveal for a new non-alcoholic beverage, Almave Humo, from Hamilton’s business portfolio, quelling immediate retirement speculation but not the broader debate about his future in F1.
Prominent figures in the F1 community have voiced opinions on Hamilton’s situation. Bernie Ecclestone, former F1 CEO, has gone as far as to recommend that Hamilton retire now to preserve his legacy rather than continuing to compete without title prospects and potentially risking injury.
Ecclestone suggested Hamilton step aside if Ferrari has a ready replacement, naming emerging talents like Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto as possible successors. The growing consensus among observers and some fans is that Hamilton’s time at Ferrari and in Formula 1 might be nearing its conclusion.
Though no official retirement decision has been announced, the recent struggles have been prominent. Ferrari will go with whatever suits them best on the track, similar to how poker players will choose the most convenient payment methods for them here: https://poker-choice.com/rec-online-casino/payment-methods/
CEO Stefano Domenicali plans to change Sprint races
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is planning to propose bold changes to the Sprint race format, a relatively new feature in Formula 1 introduced in 2021. These Sprint races, held on Saturdays, aim to add more competitive moments and excitement by offering extra race action ahead of the main Grand Prix.
Domenicali’s ideas include increasing the number of Sprint races on the calendar and potentially introducing reverse grids—a format where the starting order is reversed based on prior session results, commonly seen in FIA’s F2 and F3 championships.
Domenicali emphasizes that listening to fans’ feedback is essential and that the sport must be willing to experiment with new formats, even at the risk of making mistakes, to maintain and grow Formula 1’s appeal.
He dismissed the idea of scrapping Sprint races altogether, viewing them as an indispensable element of F1’s future. However, he acknowledged that having Sprint races at every event (24 rounds) might be excessive and suggested a balanced approach with incremental increases to a middle-ground number.
More races mean more viewing options for racing fans, which is similar to how poker players choose their poker game and method of paying here: https://poker-choice.com/rec-online-casino/payment-methods/
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