With “millions in the bank account” for Lewis Hamilton, former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi pondered how brightly the fire still burns.

Hamilton called time on a record-setting Mercedes stint to join Ferrari for F1 2025, a move which was supposed to revitalise the seven-time World Champion’s Formula 1 career, but so far that scenario has not come to pass, with the 40-year-old Hamilton struggling to match team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton: F1 ‘hunger’ still there?

With Hamilton and Mercedes having fallen away from the title scene after controversially missing out on a record eighth Drivers’ title in 2021, Hamilton’s hopes of achieving that eighth crown followed him to Ferrari.

But, with the Scuderia having regressed compared to rivals McLaren, Red Bull and arguably Mercedes also, Ferrari finds itself with just one podium bagged so far in F1 2025, that scored by Leclerc, who has finished ahead of Hamilton in every grand prix so far.

Hamilton wowed in the China Sprint, going from pole to victory, but such highlights have been few are far between, leading Di Grassi – formerly an F1 driver for Virgin turned Formula E Champion – to question how much of Hamilton’s dedication and desire still goes into Formula 1.

“I think it has to do with aging, but it also has to do with how hungry he is,” Di Grassi told RacingNews365.com.

“How many millions he has in the bank account, how much he really wants a title, is he able to compromise his whole life now the way he used to when he wanted his first title, how much time he spent on the simulator?

“I think there is a lot of things, yes. And I think age and progress in the career is part of this, right? It’s very unusual, what one of the things that strikes me more about being analogous to another sport, right?

“Like [Rafael] Nadal, the guy won [the French Open] 14 times, and he played every single point like it’s the point of his life. If he loses that point, he’s like, he’s not going to eat the next day. So being as hungry as Nadal is in tennis in every single point, also makes a big, big difference here.

“Being able to sacrifice everything, and as you grow old, you have your family, you made your career, you have other opportunities. So it depends a lot on the psychology of different people, and I’m 100 per cent sure that Lewis is not at the peak in terms of his technical abilities.

“He’s one of, in my opinion, one of the greatest ever drivers in history.

“And I grew up with him. So I know him from karting, Formula 3 together, Formula 2 together and Formula 1 together.

“So I know him very well. He is one of the greatest drivers ever to live. So that’s why he can have this. And people expect a very, very high level from him, but you have to understand that it’s not only about the abilities.”

Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc head-to-head

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

Hamilton’s former team-mate at McLaren Jenson Button explained during the Miami Grand Prix race weekend that he has noticed a shift in “character” for Hamilton.

And with a string of downbeat assessments of Ferrari life so far from Hamilton having set alarm bells ringing, Button believes the defeats to Leclerc will sting.

“Lewis is a different character now than he was when we were teammates,” Button told Sky F1, he and Hamilton having raced together at McLaren from 2010-12.

“If he was deflated, the next day he was out and on it and super fast.

“Now, he’s much more of a calm personality, he’s much more of a rounded character.

“I think it is starting to hurt him a little bit, constantly being slower than his teammate. That’s not how Lewis Hamilton is built. He’s a winner.”

Hamilton sits P7 in the F1 2025 Drivers’ Championship standings, two positions and 12 points behind Leclerc.

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