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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has stuck the boot into Lewis Hamilton by suggesting the Mercedes driver should have retired last year.

His jibe came after a tough weekend for the seven-time world champion at Imola which was compounded by him being lapped by race winner Max Verstappen. Hamilton would eventually finish 14th, failing to make an impression from his start place on the grid.

Prior to that, he had exited in Q2 on Friday, and then endured a disappointing Saturday Sprint Race. His latest poor showing leaves him on just 28 championship points after four races, leading him to already rule out a title challenge.

It's a far cry from the 2021 campaign, where he and Verstappen became embroiled in a thrilling battle for the title that went to the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi. There, Hamilton seemed destined for an eighth crown as he led his rival comfortably in the closing stages.

Then however, came the dubious safety car procedure which ultimately gifted Verstappen the chance to overtake the British driver on the final lap. Despite the apparent discrepancies in the way race director Michael Masi altered his orders late on, the result stood and the Dutchman was declared champion.

There will be no such duel this time around though, and Verstappen himself was dismissive after lapping Hamilton, frankly saying afterwards: "Mercedes has been slow all year, so for