It's been a tough couple of years in Formula 1 for Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion was on the verge of winning a record eighth title in December 2021, when he was controversially overtaken by Max Verstappen on the final lap of the season's final race. Hamilton's Mercedes then struggled to compete with Verstappen's Red Bull the following year, with the latter overlapping the former at Imola Grand Prix in April 2022.
Mercedes are still trying to give Hamilton a competitive car, with the Brit already 21 points behind Verstappen in this year's standings. There have been calls for Hamilton, now 38, to retire from F1 and let Verstappen dominate... but will the legendary driver listen?
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko hit the headlines after Hamilton's humiliation at Imola by telling reporters: "Mercedes has been slow all year, so for me it's not anything exciting, it just happens... I mean he was lapped by us, maybe he should've stopped last year."
Marko was slammed by fans on social media for his suggestion. A year on, Hamilton seems as determined as ever to win that record eighth title.
Hamilton was recently asked by Sky Sports whether he will carry on in F1 until he wins that elusive eighth title while strapped to a lie detector test. The driver took a second to answer before saying: "Yes". The polygraph confirmed Hamilton was telling the truth.
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Yet it remains unclear who Hamilton will be driving for. His Mercedes contract expires at the end of the season, and he may decide to end his 11-year association with the team if they can't give him a winning car. Several teams will be interested in snapping him up.
Mercedes are currently third in the constructors' championship, behind Red Bull and Aston Martin. Hamilton is unlikely to go to Red Bull considering Verstappen's presence.
Eddie Jordan, who was in charge of the Jordan F1 team between 1991 and 2005, believes Hamilton should join Ferrari, who are fourth in this year's constructors' championship. Hamilton has previously expressed an interest in joining F1's most successful team.
"There’s only one place he could go to in my opinion and that is Ferrari," Jordan told The Express when asked about Hamilton's future. "A guy with the talent that he is, and I think it might be a [match made] in heaven. I think Ferrari need shaking up and I think Lewis Hamilton needs shaking up, if they are going to continue."
Ferrari have won a record 16 constructors' championships and a record 15 drivers' championship, but they have not won anything since 2008. With that in mind, it would be a risk for Hamilton - at this stage in his career - to leave Mercedes for Ferrari.
Yet Hamilton has previously admitted a desire to join Ferrari. Speaking to Sky Sports in 2021, he said: "It's definitely going to be crazy to think that I never drove for Ferrari... For everyone that's a dream position to be in. It was just never really fully on the cards for me."
