Lewis Hamilton hit with worrying warning about Michael Schumacher’s final F1 races

Lewis Hamilton has been reminded that a dream F1 ending is not guaranteed - because even Michael Schumacher couldn’t manage it.

David Coulthard has delivered the bad news that Hamilton’s move to Ferrari might not pay off as he hopes.

Hamilton will swap Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, where he hopes he could win an all-time record eighth F1 championship.

He would eclipse Schumacher who came out of retirement for a three-year stint at Mercedes, where he failed to win another grand prix.

Coulthard told the Daily Mirror: "Mercedes does not exist for Lewis Hamilton, and Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that he does not exist for Mercedes.

“In the same way, when Michael came back from retirement to sign for Mercedes, it was really shocking to imagine him being anything other than a Ferrari legend.

"But the draw of coming home to Mercedes, the desire and belief that he could do it still, brought him in.

“He did a couple of years, he did okay, but it was not the same as how he was in his first stint in Formula 1."

Ex-F1 driver Coulthard continued: "Lewis is rolling the dice again with Ferrari.

"It may well lead to a rejuvenation of performance and a fight for the world championship. But it is going to be challenging because he has got [to beat] a very fast Charles Leclerc."

Ferrari’s new-look duo of Hamilton and Leclerc is jaw-dropping on paper.

But, after being out-qualified all year by Mercedes teammate George Russell, Coulthard worries that Hamilton might not be able to edge Leclerc.

"The key ingredient of all of the greats over the history of time has been to be able to qualify and race,” Coulthard said.

“And if Lewis, at 40 years old, has lost a yard in footballing terms, then he may well struggle to beat Charles over the course of a year.

"That is a legitimate question that anyone should be asking, but it is for him to show us.

“It is not about us putting him down and saying he cannot do it, because it is in his hands.

“All of these guys have it in their own hands to shape their own future."