Lewis Hamiltons dream of an eighth Formula 1 title with Ferrari is spinning off track.
His comments at the Hungarian Grand Prix in early August sparked concern among fans of Hamilton and Ferrari as the seven-time champion called himself absolutely useless, suggested Ferrari should consider replacing him, and hinted at deeper issues. Theres a lot going on in the background that is not great, Hamilton said .
Having a four-week break before next weeks Dutch Grand Prix offers a much-needed reset, argues Michael E. Sawyer, author of a biography of Hamilton, Sir Lewis, published this year.
I think hes venting, I think hes down. I think the summer break couldnt have come at a better time for him, Sawyer told The Associated Press. It gives him a chance to reflect and think through exactly what the approach is going to be.
Hamilton certainly seems to be getting away from it all. He posted pictures on social media last week in the countryside with his beloved bulldog Roscoe and the caption DND seemingly short for do not disturb.
Priority problems
Ferrari has said it still has faith in Hamilton, though F1s former boss Bernie Ecclestone has urged him to call time on his record-breaking career. Hamilton would be cheating himself if he goes on, Ecclestone told the Daily Mail newspaper this month.
So how might Hamilton find his way back to the front of the F1 field?
All too often, hes been off the pace in qualifying on Saturday and down the grid, meaning his typically better race pace is wasted on working his way through the midfield.
Every time, every time, was Hamiltons groan of frustration when he qualified 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Teammate Charles Leclerc was on pole.
Qualifying is the area where the break might help Hamilton most, argues Sawyer. He has competitive pace as he showed while carving through the field on a wet track in Belgium last month but hasnt brought it on Saturdays.
The big picture
Hamiltons move to Ferrari was never all about 2025.
The team made clear that signing Hamilton was a long-term project despite his age he turned 40 in January and backed him when he said he needed time to adapt to a different car.
When he hasnt been venting about his results on track, Hamilton has emphasized his role in creating Ferraris car for 2026, when new F1 regulations will shake up the running order.
Making Hamilton a core part of the 2026 cars design philosophy means theres reason for him to be really optimistic about the possibilities because theres going to be so much shifting around on the grid, Sawyer said. Theres going to be opportunity for someone as savvy and experienced as him to take advantage of that.
Chasing the greatest title
The worst-case scenario for Ferrari would likely be an unexpected Hamilton retirement, denting the brands image and leaving the team without a high-level driver to partner Leclerc next season.
Of its two reserve drivers, Zhou Guanyu has a career-best race finish of eighth at Sauber and Antonio Giovinazzis last F1 race was in 2021. Ferrari could also call on Oliver Bearman, the Haas rookie.
Still, if Ferraris big bet pays off, Hamilton has the potential to redefine what F1 success means once again.
He turns 41 in January and will be racing for an eighth world title to break a tie with Michael Schumacher and stand alone in the record books. Hamilton could become the oldest race winner since 1994 and oldest champion since 1966. Sawyer believes it would best all of his other titles.
I dont think theres any doubt about that, said Sawyer. I think it would be the greatest of them all. The comeback story would be amazing.
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AP auto racing:
刘易斯·汉密尔顿（Lewis Hamilton）与法拉利车队携手夺得第八个F1冠军的梦想正逐渐偏离轨道。
八月初匈牙利大奖赛期间，七届世界冠军汉密尔顿的言论引发了车迷和法拉利车队的担忧——他自称“完全无用”，暗示车队应考虑换人，并透露出更深层次的问题。汉密尔顿表示：“幕后有许多不太乐观的情况正在发生。”
汉密尔顿传记《刘易斯爵士》（今年出版）的作者迈克尔·E·索耶认为，在下周的荷兰大奖赛前拥有四周的休赛期，为车队提供了亟需的调整机会。
索耶对美联社表示："我认为他正在发泄情绪，情绪低落。对他来说，暑假来得正是时候。这给了他一个反思的机会，可以仔细考虑接下来的应对策略。"
汉密尔顿显然正在远离尘嚣。上周他在社交媒体上发布了与爱犬罗科（Roscoe）在乡间的合照，并配文“DND”——似乎是“请勿打扰”（do not disturb）的缩写。
优先处理的问题
法拉利车队表示仍对汉密尔顿充满信心，但F1前掌门人伯尼·埃克莱斯顿近日在《每日邮报》上敦促这位创纪录的车手结束职业生涯。埃克莱斯顿称："如果汉密尔顿继续参赛，那就是在欺骗自己。"
那么汉密尔顿将如何重返F1赛场的前列？
他常常在周六排位赛中表现不佳，发车位次靠后，这意味着他在正赛中通常更出色的速度优势，不得不浪费在从中游位置追赶的过程中。
汉密尔顿在匈牙利大奖赛排位赛中仅获第12名时，沮丧地抱怨道：“每次都这样，每次都这样。”而他的队友查尔斯·勒克莱尔却夺得了杆位。
索耶认为，排位赛可能是汉密尔顿最能从休整中获益的环节。这位车手具备强劲的竞速实力——正如他上月比利时站雨战中连续超车的表现——但尚未在周六的排位赛中完全发挥。
宏观图景
汉密尔顿转会法拉利绝非仅着眼于2025赛季。
车队明确表示，尽管汉密尔顿已年满40岁（今年1月刚过生日），签下他仍是一项长期计划，并在他表示需要时间适应不同赛车时给予了全力支持。
当刘易斯·汉密尔顿（Lewis Hamilton）不在赛道上为自己的成绩愤懑不平之时，他一直在强调自己在打造法拉利2026年赛车中的角色——届时新的F1规则将彻底改变赛事格局。
索耶表示，将汉密尔顿作为2026年赛车设计理念的核心部分，意味着“他有充分的理由对未来的可能性持乐观态度，因为赛场格局将发生巨大变化。像他这样精明且经验丰富的车手，将有机会充分利用这一形势。”
追逐“最伟大”头衔
对法拉利而言，最糟糕的情况可能是汉密尔顿意外退役，这不仅会损害品牌形象，还会导致车队在下赛季失去与勒克莱尔搭档的高水平车手。
法拉利的两位预备车手中，周冠宇在索伯车队时的职业生涯最佳战绩为第八名，而安东尼奥·吉奥维纳兹上一次参加F1赛事是在2021年。此外，法拉利还可启用哈斯车队的新秀奥利弗·贝尔曼。
尽管如此，如果法拉利的大胆押注取得成功，汉密尔顿将有望再次重新定义F1赛事的成功标准。
他将于一月迎来41岁生日，并将为第八个世界冠军头衔而战，以打破与迈克尔·舒马赫并列的纪录，独享历史殊荣。汉密尔顿可能成为自1994年以来最年长的分站赛冠军，以及自1966年以来最年长的总冠军。索耶认为，这将超越他之前获得的所有其他冠军头衔。
索耶表示："我认为这一点毋庸置疑。这将成为所有故事中最伟大的一个，其东山再起的剧情将会令人惊叹。"
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