Williams driver Carlos Sainz could make a sensational return to Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton\u2019s replacement for the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n
That is the claim of former Sky F1 pundit and FIA steward Johnny Herbert, who believes Hamilton and Ferrari could reach a mutual agreement to part ways at the end of the F1 2025 campaign if their troubles persist.<\/p>\n
Carlos Sainz to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari?<\/p>\n
Sainz was forced to make way for Hamilton at the end of last year after the seven-time World Champion made the blockbuster move from Mercedes to Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Hamilton\u2019s Ferrari switch has so far failed to meet expectations with the British driver still awaiting his first podium finish in red after 14 appearances.<\/p>\n
Sainz has also struggled in his new surroundings, finishing no higher than eighth so far for Williams and trailing team-mate Alex Albon by a massive 38 points.<\/p>\n
F1 2025 stats: The struggles of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton appeared to cast doubt over his Ferrari future at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, where he could only manage 12th on the grid as team-mate Charles Leclerc set pole position.<\/p>\n After repeatedly describing himself as \u201cuseless\u201d following a challenging qualifying session in Budapest, Hamilton suggested that Ferrari should consider replacing him.<\/p>\n In a separate interview the following day, Hamilton alluded to potential trouble behind the scenes at the Scuderia, adding: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot going on in the background that\u2019s not great.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferrari and Hamilton opted against specifying the exact length of his contract upon his move from Mercedes, describing it only as a \u201cmulti-year\u201d arrangement.<\/p>\n However, the deal is understood to last until at least the end of the 2026 season<\/a>, with a report in Italy last week claiming that Hamilton has an option \u2013 purely on his side \u2013 to extend his contract<\/a> until the end of 2027 regardless of his performance level.<\/p>\n Herbert, who left his role as an FIA steward ahead of the F1 2025 season, has been left alarmed by Hamilton\u2019s suggestion that all is not well behind the scenes at Ferrari.<\/p>\n And he believes his comments could open the door to a mutual parting of ways at the end of the 2025 season, potentially allowing Sainz to reclaim his old seat alongside Leclerc.<\/p>\n Sainz officially signed a multi-year deal, covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons with options to extend, upon his move to Williams at the end of last season.<\/p>\n However, Williams was forced to address widespread rumours last year<\/a> claiming that Sainz\u2019s deal contains an escape clause if a front-running team comes calling.<\/p>\n Herbert, who has ruled out the possibility of Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen replacing Hamilton, told a gambling platform: \u201cWhen Hamilton said [things are going on behind the scenes], I\u2019m not sure what that meant.<\/p>\n \u201cOne way of reading it is that there has been talk already about changing the driver.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that something that\u2019s already been spoken about?<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it\u2019s been mentioned if things don\u2019t get better, you need to get yourself in a position where you\u2019ve got the next driver ready for next year.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they [Hamilton and Ferrari] are both saying that if it doesn\u2019t work, the time is here, the time has come [to part ways].<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it would be Verstappen [chosen to replace Hamilton]. It could be one of the younger drivers, I guess.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I saw a little interview with Carlos Sainz and when asked if he would go back to Ferrari, he replied: \u2018Yeah, maybe!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cCarlos was doing an absolutely brilliant job and was really keeping Charles under control.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still young. He\u2019s still doing a good job, even if he\u2019s struggling with Williams a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we know how good he was when he was at Ferrari.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Lewis Hamilton news<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Carlos Sainz news<\/a><\/p>\n