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Lewis Hamilton will retire from F1 when the multiple world champion realises one thing, according to former team principal Guenther Steiner. However, the ex-Haas team boss stressed that Hamilton's F1 future is still in his hands despite a difficult first season at Ferrari.

Hamilton struggled to hit his best form at the Scuderla last season but has started 2026 more positively with a string of positive results, including a podium in China. Despite this, speculation over Hamilton's F1 future is still rife with the seven-time champion now the second-longest serving driver on the grid, behind Fernando Alonso.

Speaking exclusively to Express Sport through Casino.org, Steiner stressed Hamilton will only walk away when all hope of securing another world title in the sport has vanished.

He said: "It's a difficult one. I think he's doing pretty good this season. But I must say last year was very difficult for him. It was difficult for Ferrari as well. There was a lot of pressure bringing the 7-time world champion in, the GOAT in, and he was not performing.

"This year it seems he has started the season a lot better. But I think the question of how long he stays in F1 depends on how much success he wants to have, because he doesn't have to prove anything to anybody anymore. He only wants to prove to himself that he can still do it."

"At some stage he will say he's had enough of this, but I think when he realises that he cannot win the 8th world championship, that is when he will say, 'I want to stop' and that's when a seat will open up for Bearman."

Hamilton has signed a multi-year deal with Ferrari, with no confirmation over the exact end date of the British star's deal. However, last November Hamilton revealed that he had a "pretty long contract" and he was "a little bit far away" from starting contract negotiations at this stage.

Ahead of the season, Hamilton addressed his F1 future directly, with the Ferrari star claiming he was "re-set and refreshed". Hamilton added that he was "not going anywhere", urging fans to stick with him after a challenging year.

However, Ollie Bearman could prove to be a thorn in the side of Hamilton if he has a strong second season at Haas. The 20-year-old British star is widely tipped to be next in line for a Ferrari drive once Hamilton or Charles Leclerc steps aside.