Former F1 driver and ex-FIA steward Johnny Herbert saw a Lewis Hamilton in 2025 who looked lost at times, and could not find an answer to the Ferrari car\u2019s problems like Charles Leclerc could.<\/p>\n
As such, comparing Hamilton<\/a> with fellow F1 veteran Fernando Alonso, Herbert said that he would back Alonso over Hamilton to deliver in an improved car, as the new regulations come into force for F1 2026. Meanwhile, Damon Hill believes a \u201cwhiff of victory\u201d is all that it would take to reignite Hamilton.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton approaches critical F1 2026<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n It was a first season with Ferrari to forget for Hamilton, this union of the sport\u2019s most successful driver and team failing to live up to the hype in 2025.<\/p>\n Hamilton ended the year without a podium, and 86 points worse off than teammate Charles Leclerc.<\/p>\n Arguably, the ground effect era did not quite live up to Hamilton\u2019s expectations. The seven-time World Champion himself admitted that he would miss nothing about those cars, as new chassis and engine regulations arrive for F1 2026.<\/p>\n Looking ahead to the coming season, Herbert, a three-time grand prix winner, said of Hamilton on the Stay on Track podcast: \u201cIn the past, I always thought, anyway, he was always able to drive around the problem, and that now doesn\u2019t seem to be the case.<\/p>\n \u201cBut is it just a case of\u2026 I remember Sebastian Vettel, when we had the blown floors. He was fantastic with the blown floors, and when the blown floors got taken away from him, it was never the same Sebastian Vettel before. So is it just the car doesn\u2019t suit him?\u201d<\/p>\n Herbert then focused on another multi-time World Champion in the form of Fernando Alonso, as podcast co-star, Damon Hill, brought age into the conversation.<\/p>\n Both Hamilton and Alonso are into their 40s; Alonso will turn 45 in 2026 while Hamilton has just celebrated his 41st birthday. Herbert suggested that the Spaniard \u201cstill throws some great performances in\u201d at Aston Martin.<\/p>\n Hill responded: \u201cHe really does, but then you get the sense with Fernando, there\u2019s a part of his career that went missing, and I think he feels he\u2019s still got the fight. He wants to recover something.<\/p>\n \u201cWhereas I wonder whether Lewis has had a belly full. You know, the post-race interviews\u2026 He doesn\u2019t want to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton cut a downbeat figure at various points in 2025. His outbursts included suggesting Ferrari \u201cchange driver\u201d, and calling it his \u201cworst ever\u201d season.<\/p>\n Herbert said: \u201cIt was uncomfortable, to watch, actually. And it was like, \u2018Lewis, don\u2019t do that. You never did that before. Don\u2019t do it now. You\u2019ve done so much in your career, don\u2019t do that one.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBut, we get it. We understand that it\u2019s a frustrating place to be when you\u2019re trying everything you possibly can with all the experiences that you have, but you can\u2019t do it. It\u2019s not easy anymore, where it used to be you just put the helmet on, the visor went down, you just did it, and now he\u2019s having to work at it.\u201d<\/p>\n As such, Herbert admitted that Alonso is the driver he would now more confidently back over Hamilton to excel in a more competitive car.<\/p>\n Both Aston Martin and Ferrari have their sights set on an improved season in 2026. With Adrian Newey and Honda on its side, Aston Martin will look to fulfil its title ambitions in the coming seasons, while challenging for both titles is the mission for Hamilton and Ferrari from the get-go.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I look at those two, and I go, right, which one would I expect, if he were given the car, which one would be the one I put my money on? And I probably, unfortunately, sadly, say I\u2019d probably go [with] Fernando,\u201d said Herbert.<\/p>\n \u201cFernando, he\u2019s in a bad car in that Aston Martin. It\u2019s not the best. It\u2019s sort of there or thereabouts sometimes. But he\u2019s able to sort of squeeze that extra something out of it.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I never saw that happen last year with Lewis, which I\u2019m sort of shocked that we never ever saw that.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s very frustrated and shocked that he wasn\u2019t able to do it. And then I look at his face and those interviews after the race, and you go, he\u2019s lost.<\/p>\n \u201cHe cannot understand what he needs to do to get around the problem he\u2019s got.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd of course, Charles is getting around it.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Think Lewis Hamilton regrets his move to Ferrari? Just wait until 2026<\/a><\/p>\n