Helmut Marko tells Lewis Hamilton he should have retired after being lapped by Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton has been told he should have retired from Formula One after the seven-time world champion’s frustrating start to the season.

The Mercedes driver endured a torrid Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in which he finished 13th, only moving up one place from his starting position.

To make matters worse, he was lapped by his title rival of last season and race winner Max Verstappen, while he was also comfortably beaten by his team-mate George Russell who finished just outside the podium places in fourth.

Lewis Hamilton endured a torrid weekend in which he finished 13th at the Emilia Romagna GP

Hamilton was caught and lapped by Max Verstappen who went on to win the race

There had been speculation that Hamilton could retire from Formula One at the end of last season, following his controversial defeat to Max Verstappen in the 2021 title decider in Abu Dhabi.

He decided to carry on racing, though after just four races, he is seventh in the standings and already 58 points off championship leader Charles Leclerc.

Red Bull and Mercedes were fierce rivals last season after the intense battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, and the Milton Keynes outfit’s advisor Helmut Marko, appears to be revelling in the British driver’s struggles.

After the race, Marko joked to Sky Sports News: ‘I mean, he was lapped by us, so maybe he should have stopped last year.’

The Austrian added that Hamilton must be ‘thinking’ about retirement following his frustrating start to the season.

There had been speculation Hamilton could retire after his controversial title defeat

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has told Hamilton that he should have retired after last season

Hamilton missed out on what would have been a record eighth drivers’ championship when he was overtaken by Verstappen on the final lap of last season.

After failing to score points for the first time this season, Hamilton has already ruled himself out of the title fight, despite there being a long way to go this season.

He told Sky Sports after the race: ‘I’m out of it, for sure. There’s no question about that, but I’ll still keep working as hard as I can to try and somehow pull it back together somehow.’

After his season-long battle with Verstappen in 2021, it would have been a tough sight for Hamilton to see the Red Bull driver lap him on Lap 41 in the 63 lap race on Sunday.

However, both Verstappen and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner played down the moment in their post-race interviews.

Verstappen lapped Hamlton (pictured two cars behind) on Lap 41 of the 63-lap race

Max Verstappen said it wasn’t ‘anything exciting’ for him to lap his title rival from last season

Hamilton has played down his title chances and is already 58 points off leader Charles Leclerc

Verstappen said: ‘Mercedes has been slow all year, so for me it’s not anything exciting, it just happens.’

Horner, meanwhile defended Hamilton and said Mercedes will sort out their issues.

He said:  ‘He’s obviously had a horrible weekend, but he’s still a seven-time world champion.

‘He hasn’t forgotten how to drive in the last four races, so at some point, they’ll sort their issues out and he’ll become a factor, I’ve got no doubt. But obviously the young guys are doing a great job at the moment.’

Hamilton’s misery was compounded by team-mate George Russell finishing up in fourth

It was the perfect weekend for the reigning world champion, Verstappen, who has suffered two mechanical retirements in the opening four races. 

He crossed the line comfortably first in a Red Bull one-two ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, having also taken maximum points in Saturday’s Sprint Race.

The Dutchman cut the gap at the top of the standings to 27 points, as championship leader Leclerc dropped from third to sixth after a late spin.