When Hamilton was first presented at the home of Enzo Ferrari in Maranello, the atmosphere was special, Croft told the Express Sport. "There was so much potential, so much joy, I think, that Lewis had gone to Ferrari, and he looked great in red."

However, after Hamilton's first season as a Ferrari driver, emotions could not be further from what they once were, with Hamilton admitting to have been overwhelmed by feelings of anger after his fourth consecutive Q1 exit came at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

"For whatever reason, it's not gone well," Croft added. "I think the two key reasons are, the car hasn't been good enough in a lot of the races, and Lewis hasn't quite gelled with the structure and the people there. Which doesn't mean to say they're not getting on, they're just not gelling and in the winter they need to find a way to gel," the British commentator stressed.

However, the bigger part of the responsibility falls on Ferrari's shoulders as they failed to provide their drivers with the appropriate machinery to win titles, Croft believes, and should the Italians fail to do so again next year, then they may risk losing their top tier driver line up.

"It's up to Ferrari to give him a car, and Charles Leclerc as well let's not forget who, whilst Lewis has had his struggle, Charles had a fourth winless season in seven years with Ferrari," Croft continued befor concluding: "That is not the car they need and Ferrari will struggle to keep both drivers if they get another season like this next year."

Croft recounts a private chat in Las Vegas and suggests Hamilton needs to regain self-belief, whilst also addressing the seven-time world champion's potential retirement from the sport. Read his full statements here.

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