The twilight of a storied career can creep in quietly or, in the case of Lewis Hamilton, perhaps with the dramatic subtlety of an F1 V8 from 2008 screaming at the starting line. Now aged 40, with seven world championships to his name, Hamilton has made the most surprising move of his life by joining Scuderia Ferrari, only to discover that the prancing horse sometimes feels more like a sleepy donkey.
Despite the glamour of the red overalls and constant media attention, the 2025 season has been a struggle, filled with record-breaking streaks of non-podiums, blatant frustration, and public admissions that the car feels alien to a man accustomed to dominating. Now news of Formula 1 retirement has come back to haunt the paddock.
The question arises: could Hamilton retire from the sport early? Perhaps not with the abruptness we associate with cliff-edge retirements, but rather fading into the background as the spotlight gradually shifts elsewhere.
While he may not be ready to officially announce anything yet, when a driver of his calibre sighs and says, ‘The team may need to change driver’ after a subpar session, it’s hard to dismiss the possibility. Ferrari’s leadership have acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge, with team principal Fred Vasseur admitting that Hamilton’s transition to the SF-25 has been tougher than anticipated.
Hamilton’s retirement is coming
The question looms like a lapped car out of favour: will he stick around long enough to redeem his Ferrari stint, or will he quietly step into a new kind of role, mentor, ambassador or legend-in-retirement, before the world expects it? It’s a scenario that might once have seemed improbable, but after this season, it now feels distinctly plausible. Indeed, whispers of the British driver’s retirement from Formula 1 have grown stronger in the paddock.
And yet, even as speculation about his future behind the wheel swirls, Hamilton’s off-track dominance has never looked stronger. While Ferrari engineers rummage through telemetry searching for missing tenths of a second, their star driver continues to lap the world with his brand appeal. Whether he is fronting luxury fashion campaigns, collaborating with eco-startups or redefining the concept of a ‘sportsman-activist’, Hamilton’s marketing power remains unbeatable.
In fact, his commercial supremacy has just been reaffirmed: he has been named the world’s most marketable athlete. Perhaps this is proof that even if Ferrari can’t provide him with a winning car, the rest of the world is still more than happy to buy whatever Lewis Hamilton is selling.
Update on Red Bull driver decision
Ferrari’s fashion-forward frontman
Lewis Hamilton may not be dominating the Formula 1 podium these days, but when it comes to capturing hearts, trending on social media and starring in high-end fashion campaigns, he’s still the undisputed GOAT. While Ferrari mechanics puzzle over why their red rocket behaves like an overripe cherry tomato, Hamilton has quietly achieved something that no amount of pit-stop strategy can deny: he has been crowned the world’s most marketable athlete. Again.
At 40 years old, most athletes are happily retired, either polishing trophies or selling protein shakes on Instagram. Not Hamilton. He’s too busy reminding the world that true greatness transcends lap times and tyre compounds. In SportsPro’s “50 Most Marketable Athletes” ranking, Hamilton didn’t just make an appearance; he annihilated the competition like an assisted overtake down the Monza straight.
With an impressive 96.03 out of 100 points, the seven-time world champion took the top spot, leaving everyone else to wonder whether the key to success lies in performance on track or on TikTok. This is the second time he has achieved this feat, having first topped the ranking back in 2014, back when Ferrari fans still believed that Fernando Alonso’s eyebrow could lift the Scuderia back to glory.
From the pit lane to the runway
Hamilton’s rise in the marketing charts may not surprise anyone who has seen him glide down red carpets in outfits that could make Milan Fashion Week blush. While his Ferrari struggles to keep up with the RB21s, his brand has never been faster. With seven titles, 105 wins and enough global recognition to make half of Hollywood envious, Hamilton’s real race is now being fought in the boardrooms of fashion, sustainability and social justice.
Formula 1 purists may scoff, muttering something about ‘focus’ and ‘lap times’, but the numbers don’t lie. The metrics behind this ranking, Brand Strength, Total Addressable Market, and Economic Factors, sound suspiciously like the categories a marketing executive invented after a particularly long brunch with Lewis himself. Apparently, wheel-to-wheel battles don’t earn you points here, but wearing a pearl necklace while discussing veganism might.
Where’s Max?
Speaking of metrics, let’s address the orange elephant in the room, Max Verstappen. The four-time reigning world champion, lap record destroyer and Red Bull golden boy somehow didn’t even make the list. That’s right: the man who has been dominating F1 for years couldn’t sell a hoodie even if it came with a free championship trophy.
Verstappen’s “I just like to drive” persona doesn’t exactly scream marketability. Sponsors tend to prefer ambassadors who can say more than “the car was good”. While Hamilton mingles with celebrities, Verstappen prefers a quiet evening with his sim rig and a can of Red Bull. Admirable, yes, but not exactly Gucci campaign material.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris did make the top 50, proving that a charming smile and a knack for memes can pay dividends even if you spend most weekends watching McLarens disappear into the distance.
Mexican GP: Verstappen furious as Norris takes lead of championship
The champion of brand equity
For all the teasing, there’s something poetic about Hamilton’s triumph. In a world where sporting glory fades as quickly as the latest social media trend, he has mastered the art of staying relevant. From his environmental activism to his fashion ventures and Netflix-ready charisma, he has become the prototype for the modern athlete: part racer, part influencer and entirely untouchable.
So, while Ferrari fans are still waiting for his first real win in red, the man himself has already crossed another finish line. While Verstappen racks up trophies, Hamilton collects sponsorships, and in 2025, those might just be the more valuable accolades.
After all, in Formula 1’s brave new world, who needs a Constructors’ title when you’re already the undisputed Marketing World Champion?
With that, the jury may now deliberate: Is Hamilton likely to retire early?
Pirelli gamble works despite widespread paddock criticism in Mexico
MORE F1 NEWS – Piastri mystery leads to conspiracy theories
One race after the summer break, Oscar Piastri was on top of the Formula One world. He had broken the resistance of the current world champion and his team mate’s DNF in Zandvoort left him an almost unassailable 34 points clear of Lando Norris.
Given that McLaren had won twelve of the first fifteen Grand Prix, it was expected this form would continue with both drivers trading 1-2’s to the end of the season,. Meaning without a DNF for Piastri it would be the Australian who claimed his maiden F1 drivers’ championship.
Just four races later and the wheels have fallen from Oscar’s racing wagon. Crashes and false starts in Baku began his demise then in Singapore he was dominated by his team mate and failed to make the podium.
Piastri scrapes through to Q3
The US GP which is a low grip circuit proved tough for Piastri, again with him trailing Norris for most of there weekend finishing just fifth. Now in Mexica, where the grip is also low, the young McLaren driver has had a nightmare in qualifying and will start the race in seventh place, due to a one position promotion due to Carlos Sainz grid drop.
His only saving grace is Verstappen who looked the most dangerous in terms of the title challenge – and was the bookies favourite – is having a tough weekend of his own. He and the team failed to nail the ride height of his RB21 and he is set for a long and difficult afternoon trying to keep his tyres alive.
TJ13 predicted this would be a rough weekend for Oscar, although the gap to his team mate is remarkably large. Oscar had an extra practice session over Verstappen and Norris who gave their cars in FP1 to junior drivers. Yet despite the extra time to fine tune his setup, Piastri was 6/10ths behind his team mate in FP2 and roughly the same margin behind in FP3.
Come qualifying, Oscar almost missed out on Q3 such was his lack of performance, but he pipped Yuki Tsunoda by 0.079 seconds to survive although Q3 was to prove little better. His P8 classification (before grid drops) was again 0.6 seconds behind his pole…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
Craig.J. Alderson is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Craig oversees newsroom operations and coordinates editorial output across the site. With a background in online sports reporting and motorsport magazine editing, he plays a key role in maintaining consistency, speed, and accuracy in TJ13’s coverage.
During race weekends, Craig acts as desk lead, directing contributors, prioritising breaking stories, and ensuring timely publication across a fast-moving news cycle.
Craig’s work focuses heavily on real-time developments in the paddock, including team updates, regulatory decisions, and emerging controversies. This role requires a detailed understanding of Formula 1’s operational flow, from practice sessions through to race-day strategy and post-race fallout.
With experience managing editorial teams, Craig ensures that TJ13 delivers structured, reliable coverage while maintaining the site’s distinctive voice.
Craig has a particular interest in how information moves within the paddock environment, and how rapidly developing stories can be accurately translated into clear, accessible reporting for readers.
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
