'Past his prime' Hamilton given grim forecast by Herbert: 'Leclerc is better than him'

16:03, 30 Apr

Updated: 16:37, 30 Apr

byNorberto Mujica

Former FIA Steward, Johnny Herbert has issued a stern warning for a 'past his prime' Lewis Hamilton, and outlines 2026 as the Briton's last shot at getting his 8th title.

Lewis Hamilton's start to the season has not been the best, with the British driver being outclassed by teammate Leclerc, on a daily basis since the Chinese Grand Prix and onward. Something to do with age, Herbert believes in conversation with a betting site.

“I think 2026 is Lewis Hamilton‘s final chance at getting the eighth championship. He’s 40 years old now, is he in his prime? No. Has that prime passed? Yes. Is he still really good? Yes."

“But, Charles Leclerc is better than Hamilton at the moment, so even if the Ferrari improves, he needs to beat his teammate.”

'Hamilton falls short of Senna, but needed the Ferrari reset'

Hamilton's motivation suffered last year at Mercedes, as the team continued to struggled to come to terms with the ground effect regulations, something he and fallen champion, Ayrton Senna, seem to differ on, according to the former FIA Steward.

"Last season, the Mercedes was so inconsistent, sometimes it could win races, then struggle to get anywhere near the podium. Lewis Hamilton, I felt, was also losing motivation at the team and was frustrated."

“The one who always found motivation was Ayrton Senna. He would come back later than most for testing and then found himself winning championships. Hamilton needed that refresh at Ferrari."

'Ferrari not in bad shape but Leclerc is doing better than Hamilton'

Ferrari seem to be there or thereabouts the podium places, with the team getting their first top 3 result of the year in Jeddah. But at the moment, it's Leclerc who's getting the most out of the SF-25, notes Herbert.

“After a difficult race in Australia, Hamilton’s season at Ferrari looked really impressive and promising in China with the Sprint win, but since then, it’s not really clicked."

"Charles Leclerc is having a better, consistent season with some strong performances, but at the moment, the Ferrari is just about getting podiums. It’s not in a bad shape."

“They’re the fourth or third-best team, they need to make a jump to the next level to compete with the McLaren and Red Bull. Lewis will need to be at his best to beat Charles this season, the pressure is on."