"I don’t see Lewis getting an eighth title": F1 pundit makes bold claim about Lewis Hamilton's title prospects

F1 pundit Johnny Herbert does not think Lewis Hamilton can win an 8th title with his current extension signed with Mercedes for the next two seasons. Hamilton's current contract runs out at the end of this season and there were speculations about where he might end up. As it turns out, true to his word all along, he signed an extension with the German team.

He's been with the team since 2013 and will be there until the end of the 2025 F1 season. Looking at Mercedes and its trajectory for the next two seasons, Johnny Herbert spoke to The Mirror, stating that he did not think Lewis Hamilton could win the elusive 8th world championship title. He said:

“Based on the last couple of years, I don’t see Lewis getting an eighth title. “The car has got better since they changed from the original concept, but they are only as good as the gap behind Red Bull. They are not ahead of the game. Can they turn it around? I don’t know. I haven’t seen those positive signs. They have gone forward but not very far. The car is not a race winner.”

Herbert did however feel that maybe Lewis Hamilton knows what's going to happen next at Mercedes and that gave him the confidence to sign the dotted line. The former Benetton driver did concede that an alliance with Ferrari would have been very interesting for Lewis Hamilton. He said:

“He may be aware of what may be happening in the future with Mercedes and has been satisfied that is where his future is. Still, I would have liked to have seen the final part of his career in a Ferrari. I honestly think he was the right character and the perfect fit for them."

He added:

“[But] If he is happy where he is, for him, that is the best mental place for him to be. You have got to have belief in where you are at and Lewis does, which is why he re-signed.”

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in the same team will not work

Addressing a possible scenario where Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton become teammates, Johnny Herbert denied any chance of that happening whatsoever. Herbert was quoted as saying to Grosvenor Sport:

“I don’t think Max and Lewis will work in a team. In F1 there always comes a time when the baton is passed on to the next driver, in this case Max. However, Lewis is extremely good and still capable of beating Max. You have to be in the right position and with the right team."

Red Bull has just lost its first race of the season in Singapore, and this lost momentum could be used by rival teams including Mercedes to mount a challenge towards the front of the grid.