Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 'divorce' theory raised as exit tipped to turn rocky
Lewis Hamilton has endured a very frustrating start to his final season with Mercedes.
Naomi Schiff has hinted at potential complications for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes further down the line this season following his decision to switch to Ferrari next year.
The F1 world was taken aback when 37-year-old Hamilton declared in February he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the season for Ferrari, despite having recently signed a multi-year contract. His departure will mark the end of an era - having been with Mercedes for 11 seasons, achieving immense success.
However, Schiff expressed her concerns on the Sky Sports F1 podcast about the future dynamics between Hamilton and his current team.
She observed: "You could see that already in Monaco there was some weird body language and sort of Lewis saying that he was not going to out-qualify George [Russell] for the rest of the season. So I don't know if there's also a whole new layer of a psychological aspect that's coming in with essentially what is like a divorce between Lewis and the team, and it's going to happen throughout the season."
Schiff went on to discuss how Hamilton's impending departure might affect his involvement with the team, suggesting that he may soon find himself excluded from crucial discussions. She continued: "Inevitably, he's going to start being left out of important meetings. New parts - George is going to be the preference for the team in terms of that but obviously he's also ahead of him in the championship, so that's the case anyway.
"But all these sorts of things are going to plant a little bit of a layer of doubt. Both in the team's head and Lewis' head of 'What game are they playing?', [and Mercedes wondering] 'Has Lewis checked out, is he still on board?'.
"I know that there's a sentiment from Mercedes and Lewis that they want to end this [relationship] on a high. I think they both really feel that way."
Hamilton has endured a challenging season and, amid his ambition to conclude his time at Mercedes on a positive note, he emphasised his determination to improve his situation during a CBS interview last month.
He said "I think everyone in the team, they want it to be a great year. Everyone's worked so hard back at the factory, no less than ever before.
"For me, this whole journey has been massively emotional just because I have so much love for this team. I'm not leaving because I'm unhappy there. I'm not leaving because of relationship issues.
"Mercedes supported me since I was 13 so I love the brand. I love the people. They've been with me through thick and thin. So it's definitely a strange transition at the moment."
