Lewis Hamilton labelled 'glass half empty' as complaints mount up at Mercedes

has been criticised for his 'glass half empty' mentality as the Brit prepares for his departure.

Hamilton has just three races of his Mercedes career left - a stint that has returned a whopping six of his seven Drivers' Championship titles.

But, as a result of his performances in the last couple of seasons, Hamilton's exit from the Silver Arrows has been soured somewhat.

Having won just two Grand Prix races since the start of the 2022 campaign, Hamilton has been a vocal critic of the Mercedes car, recently stating the W15 is currently the 'worst the car has ever been'.

Former Haas chief Guenther Steiner believes it's been 'easy' for Hamilton to complain about Mercedes' shortcomings because he's heading for the exit door.

Speaking to the podcast, the former principal of the Haas F1 Team said: "I mean, the car, it is what it is. I think Lewis is just at that point he doesn't like the car, he complains about that, he sees the glass half empty while George sees his half full. They've got a few more races to go."

On his complaints about the Mercedes car, Steiner stated: "George [Russell] has got all the interest to do to whatever is there to show that he's the leader of the team for the future.

"He has to prove that, because he knows that because he knows that when his Mercedes contract is up, his seat is not 100 per cent safe so he just tries to do his best, puts everything into it.

"And on the other side, Lewis doesn't like the car and how it drives, knows that now in three races he's not there anymore."

Steiner isn't the only one to have raised issues about Hamilton in recent weeks, with .

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ecclestone stated: "However, from Lewis' point of view, it may not have been a mistake to join Ferrari. He couldn't exist any longer at Mercedes. Either he's given up with them or they have given up on him. They wouldn't do much to keep him, so he is better off going."

On the prospect of walking away from Ferrari before he's even driven a race, he added: "He would have to walk away from a lot financially. It is a big deal he has got, though I suspect the bonus clauses written into his contract are there to make him feel good rather than reality.