Jaime Alguersuari has seen one sign that Lewis Hamilton is ‘going to leave’ Ferrari next year, ‘his time has passed’

Reality has set in for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari after a miserable start to the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Despite having so much expectation and hype around him after his incredible move to the Maranello outfit, the seven-time champion’s opening five races have seen little success.

While Hamilton won the Sprint in China, his highest finish in 2025 has been fifth in Bahrain as he sits seventh in the drivers’ championship, 16 points behind teammate Charles Leclerc. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a clear indication of his struggles.

The 40-year-old qualified half a second down on Leclerc in seventh and finished there in the race, over half a minute behind the Monagasque driver. Hamilton lost a 168-race streak with how as far back as was to his teammate.

Hamilton was completely dejected in Jeddah – he has not been able to get to grips with the SF-25 yet. Hamilton is ‘totally struggling’ with a loss of balance in the car, with serious work required in Maranello to fix the problem.

Hamilton put in late hours in Jeddah to help the team, highlighting how devoted he is to making his stint a success. But Jaime Alguersuari anticipates there to be a change.

Jaime Alguersuari thinks Lewis Hamilton will leave Ferrari because they are ‘not a winning team’

Hamilton signed a two-year deal with Ferrari that takes him into the 2026 F1 regulations. The team have the option to extend by a further year if they so desire.

Ferrari have not won a championship since 2008 and brought Hamilton on board to end their winless drought. They came close in 2024 to winning the constructors’ championship, but lost to McLaren by 14 points.

So far in 2025, Ferrari are fourth, already 110 points behind the Woking outfit. Speaking on The After Lap Podcast, Alguersuari does not see the Maranello squad as a ‘winning team’, prompting him to predict that Hamilton will be off by 2026.

“I have the feeling that Hamilton, he’s going to leave,” he said.

“I don’t know why I’m taking a risk by saying this, but I have the feeling that he’s like, his time has passed, that he’s already won a lot, that he’s already won everything and that he’s saying: ‘OK, I’ve gone to Ferrari to try and see what happens in 2026.’

“Ferrari is not a winning team. A team is a team that wins races, but it is not a winning team. They have not won since 2008.

“So they may have a competitive car, they may have a competitive team, but they don’t have a winning team. There is a difference.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Ferrari may have Lewis Hamilton’s replacement lined up already

Hamilton’s contract with Ferrari is likely to be his last in F1. Now at 40 years old, it is unclear whether he will take up another year and remain in 2027.

If he does decide to depart the team next season, they may already have his replacement in mind. Ferrari have ‘never stopped’ watching Oliver Bearman since Hamilton joined, with the Maranello outfit tipping the young Brit for the future.

Bearman put himself on the driver market with his brilliant F1 debut with Ferrari in Jeddah in 2024. Replacing Carlos Sainz, he narrowly missed out on Q3 and fought to P7 in the race, finishing ahead of Hamilton.

Hamilton’s gap to Leclerc in Jeddah was worse than Bearman’s on his debut in qualifying. Now with Haas and producing some impressive displays, the 19-year-old is next in line to race for Ferrari.

However, Ferrari could be an option for Max Verstappen if Hamilton decides to leave come 2026. The Dutchman could take a sabbatical from F1 next year, with the door being open in Maranello when he comes back in 2027.