Lewis Hamilton has been told he won't be able to make any difference at Ferrari with former F1 race winner Thierry Boutsen accusing him of 'giving up' with Mercedes already.
The 39-year-old is seen by many as the greatest F1 driver of all time, but he's had to deal with three years of obscurity as Max Verstappen embarked on his own era of dominance.
Hamilton is without a race win since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with teams still unable to properly rival Red Bull.
It's been a similar story this season with Mercedes dropping off even further than before.
Hamilton has failed to finish higher than seventh in the three races he's finished this season and sits down in ninth in the Drivers' Championship.
Lewis Hamilton currently sits ninth in the table
GETTY
And Boutsen, who competed in 164 F1 races, feels Hamilton has lost a bit of the desire this year to try and compete with Mercedes.
"I see that with all his experience and his age it is a little more difficult for him to give 100 per cent," he told PlanetF1.
"Maybe he is only driving at 98 per cent. You already saw it during the race in Japan when he asked if George had to pass.
"A few years ago he would have fought hard to stay ahead of him.
"And when things get worse like they are now, he gets into a bad situation and he just gives up.
"He gives Russell a chance to be better than him and to help the team get better.
"Hamilton is not in a position or is not able to perform that well, for whatever reason."
The British racing superstar will leave Mercedes to join Ferrari in the hope of one final push for a record eighth world championship.
But Boutsen has warned that Hamilton won't be able to do it alone.
Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the season
GETTY
"I don't think a driver can take a team to the top," he added.
"In the 70s, 80s and maybe 90s that was still possible, but since then that has not been the case.
"Otherwise he would have beaten Verstappen last year and the year before and he would have won the championship this year.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
- Masters cause fury with Tiger Woods tee time announcement as Rory McIlroy paired with Scottie Scheffler
- Tyson Fury explains true feelings on Oleksandr Usyk ahead of blockbuster boxing fight - 'This is not'
- Tiger Woods leaves Masters fan's hand 'throbbing' after launching ball into crowd before laughing about it
"To bring Ferrari to the level of Red Bull as a driver, I don't see that happening.
"If Ferrari returns to that level, then it is because they make a car capable of winning.
"And if he joins Ferrari at the end of this year, how much time does he have to build the team around him to build the car?"