Herbert: It just looks like Hamilton is lost, really lost at Ferrari

Thursday, 05 June 2025 at 18:28

Lewis Hamilton’s highly anticipated Ferrari adventure is turning into a difficult chapter in his illustrious career, with former Formula 1 driver and pundit Johnny Herbert suggesting the seven-time World Champion “is lost” and not a driver the great Scuderia can rely on just yet.

After nine rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, Hamilton trails teammate Charles Leclerc by 23 points in the standings, despite both sitting in the top six. In qualifying, including Sprint sessions, Leclerc leads Hamilton 8–3.

Speaking after a tough Spanish Grand Prix for Hamilton, who admitted post-race he had “no idea” why his weekend performance was so poor, Herbert didn’t hold back, daring to ask questions his fellow British F1 pundits are reluctant to do.

Looking back on the weekend in Barcelona, Herbert ventured: “It just looks like Lewis Hamilton is lost, really lost. I don't know if the raw pace that he's always had throughout his career is there anymore. I thought, with the pure racing skill Lewis had, he'd be able to drive around any problems with the car but he seems stuck in a hole. It's not nice to see.”

Reflecting on past champions whose careers faded late on, Herbert continued: “It's not the first time we've seen it in the sport. Nigel Mansell won his championship in 1992, went to America in 1993, came back in 1994, and it didn't work anymore for him. It happened with Michael Schumacher too. At Mercedes he wasn't the same Schumacher as before.”

China Sprint Race victory was a timely reminder to all by Hamilton

hamilton winner sprint race ferrari chinesegp

Hamilton stunned Ferrari, and Formula 1 for that matter, with a Sprint win in China earlier this season, but since then has struggled to find consistency in the SF-25, a car Leclerc has adapted to better.

Herbert pointed out: “You're always going to have your peak and the end of your peak. It's not nice to see. I know Charles Leclerc is not happy with the car either, but at least he's getting podium finishes consistently.

"There have been a couple of poor decisions in Ferrari's strategy and poor communication over the radio, Hamilton doesn't have the synergy with his engineer that he needs. He hasn't found his comfort zone since the sprint win in China.”

On Hamilton’s internal struggles, Herbert ventured: “Sometimes you don't realise when it's not as easy as it was before, but when you look across the garage and your teammate is outperforming you, then it may click. The greats of the sport, at their peak, get the best out of their car.

"Max Verstappen is doing it right now. Hamilton just can't seem to get the extra he needs anymore. He won't understand why he can't, because he'll feel like he should be able to. But Leclerc is outperforming you in the same car.”

Looking ahead, Herbert predicted: “Leclerc is only going to grow and is in control of Ferrari's future. He's the guy they can rely on. Ferrari can't rely on Lewis Hamilton at this point. It's horrible to say but it's the truth.”

(Quotes supplied by InstantWithdrawalBettingSites)