Is Lewis Hamilton giving up already? 'Ferrari wants their money's worth'

Indeed, aside from an outlier win in the sprint race in China, Hamilton has not performed as hoped for at Ferrari, with the Brit failing to finish on the podium even once and his gap to teammate Charles Leclerc only increasing.

After the race in Jeddah, Hamilton's dejected statements seemed to suggest he was giving up, something Schumacher notes.

“If he's giving up already, that'd be quite early. I can hardly believe that," says Schumacher in the German Sky-podcast Backstage Boxengasse. The German, however, does see that Hamilton is under great pressure at the team. "Expectations are high. Ferrari naturally wants their money's worth. So, Lewis has to perform – and he probably will."

The victory in the Chinese sprint race would prove that Hamilton still has the speed. “That was no fluke,” continues Schumacher. “He can still do it, but he needs the right conditions and the right material. And there are circuits coming up that will suit him better. He needs to continue developing. He shouldn't close himself off or give up hope. But it takes time."

Despite his disappointing results, Schumacher doesn't think Hamilton regrets his move. "I think he was really looking for a new challenge, and it was also simply time for something new. Things were not exactly smooth at Mercedes either. And he made that decision very early on. We mustn't forget that."

“I think he was annoyed that Mercedes didn't really want to continue with him on a long-term basis. That also has to do with age. The age issue must have affected him. Hamilton is an emotional person, and that also speaks to his character," says the German.