Bernie Ecclestone previously hinted Lewis Hamilton 'can escape contract' early

Former F1 racer and pundit Martin Brundle has suggested that Lewis Hamilton could walk away from the sport if Mercedes cannot bridge the gap to Ferrari this season. Hamilton secured a podium spot in the season opener in Bahrain last weekend but looked much slower than the Ferrari and Red Bull cars. Brundle told Fox Sports this week: “As long as he’s still enjoying the bits around F1 or he can tolerate those bits around F1 and balance it out with just loving driving the car, [he’ll stay]. "[But] if he goes through the whole year and Mercedes are third fastest and others are catching up, then I suspect he’ll take a different view and my enjoyment analogy will play out in that he won’t be enjoying it anymore.”

Speculation over Hamilton's future in the sport was rife after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix controversy last season, when Max Verstappen won the Drivers' Championship on the last lap.

While Hamilton's current deal with Mercedes ends in 2023, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone once hinted that the seven-time world champion could leave earlier, suggesting that the Brit is less motivated than he used to be.

He said: “I have spoken to lots of people about this and perhaps Lewis is not quite the fighter that he was.

“There are lots of occasions this year where he could have done better and he hasn’t.

"He hasn’t had any competition, the equipment has always been super, and he hasn’t really had to make the effort. But now maybe he is thinking that he better take it a bit easier.

“At the beginning of the year I thought he would look to win the championship and then retire.

"But it appears not, even though I wouldn’t rely too much on contracts. He can escape from that.

"He probably had a look at the clothing range and music but realised that it is not as easy to make money there as it is in Formula 1.”

Hamilton and Ecclestone have clashed in the past, and the Mercedes star has rarely let the businessman's words get to him.

He returned to F1 for the 2022 season hoping to finally secure his record eighth title.

Speaking to ESPN last month, Hamilton denied he was considering retirement after the 2021 season, instead saying he was "focused on...coming back stronger.”

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He added: “Of course, I think at the end of a season you think [about the future] and the question is whether you're willing to commit the time, the effort it takes to be a world champion.

“I think a lot of people underestimate what it takes to be a world champion and there are so many moving parts. It is not just turning up and driving the car.

“So the question is, do you want to sacrifice the time, do you believe you can continue to punch at the weight you're punching? And so that's a normal mental process for me.

"Of course, this one was compounded by a significant factor, and I think ultimately a sport I've loved my whole life, there was a moment where I obviously lost a little bit of faith within the system.

“But I am generally a very determined person and I'd like to think to myself... while moments like this might define others' careers I refuse to let this define mine.

“So I focused on being the best I can be and coming back stronger.”

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Despite their uninspiring start to the season, Mercedes have been backed to "bounce back" by Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner.

He said: “I think when you watch their car on circuit it obviously doesn’t look easy for their drivers at the moment.

"But what we do know is their ability to bounce back.

“I mean, they’ve had difficult pre-seasons before and then gone and won the first race."

Horner also remains confident that his team can rebound after both Red Bull cars retired in Bahrain last week.

He added: “It’s an incredibly long season with 22 races remaining, so we need to get on top of whatever this issue was and come back stronger next weekend.”