Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Lewis Hamilton still has the hope of finally winning the eighth F1 drivers’ title that he was denied when Max Verstappen controversially beat him to seal the crown in 2021.
The events of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are etched into F1 history, thanks to how then-FIA race director Michael Masi interrupted the rulebook to guarantee the race did not finish under a safety car. But Masi’s actions denied Hamilton his record-setting eighth drivers’ title.
Hamilton has been striving to get back into the F1 drivers’ championship fight ever since the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. He quit Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025, after the Silver Arrows failed to get on top of the ground-effect regulations that Formula 1 introduced in the 2022 campaign.
But Hamilton came to describe his first year at Ferrari as his “worst season ever”, as the 41-year-old failed to score a Grand Prix podium in a season for the first time. He also registered his worst points total under the scoring system that F1 has used since 2010 with a mere 156.
Prove me wrong: Lewis Hamilton can still win an eighth F1 drivers’ title
Johnny Herbert thinks Lewis Hamilton can win an eighth F1 title if he finds ‘comfort in the car’
Hamilton now hopes that Ferrari have understood the 2026 F1 regulations well enough that he can contend for the title again. And Johnny Herbert has no doubts that Hamilton still has enough in his locker to win an eighth F1 title, providing he feels comfortable in Ferrari’s car.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton’s seven best Mercedes drives before joining Ferrari in 2025
The 2026 regulations mark the biggest regulatory overhaul in history, with new engine, tyre, chassis and aero rules all coming into force at once. It is thought that Ferrari’s 2026 engine is lacking compared to Mercedes’, and is said that the FIA wants a closer look at Ferrari’s aero.
Herbert told RacingNews365: “I think yes, but you’ve got to have everything that you feel comfortable with working underneath you. So, it really comes down to whether he gets that comfort in the car.
“You never lose your race craft. The moves you make, the consistency you have, the ability to look after the tyres, or whatever it may be, you never lose that. Raw pace, I think, is the first thing to go. Mistakes do start to come into play as you get a little bit older.
“Unfortunately, from my experience, that’s how it is. But that’s normal, to be perfectly honest. So, I think if everything, the stars are all aligned, I think yes, that could definitely happen again.”
Lewis Hamilton should already be an eight-time F1 champion but for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Is a lack of confidence the REAL reason why Lewis Hamilton has struggled at Ferrari?
History awaited in December 2021, as Hamilton was just one lap away from winning the F1 drivers’ championship for a record-setting eighth time. But Verstappen ended that term on top by eight points after a last-lap pass that many believe should never have been possible.
Then-FIA race director Masi chose to interpret the F1 regulations in such a way that let him ensure the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix did not finish under a safety car. But in only clearing the lapped cars directly between Hamilton and Verstappen, he left the former a sitting duck.
Hamilton should have won the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP and thus his eighth F1 title had Masi not intervened. Instead, Verstappen took advantage of being able to pit for new tyres under the safety car to overtake the Briton and secure the first of what would be four successive titles.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
