Johnny Herbert thinks Lewis Hamilton’s mental capacity puts him in a ‘very strong position’ in 2026

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Many F1 key figures and legends, including Johnny Herbert, are tipping Lewis Hamilton to bounce back in 2026 under the new regulations.

The seven-time champion had a tough first year at Ferrari in 2025, scoring no podiums for the first time in a season. But with the sweeping changes across the grid in 2026, many believe Hamilton will be best-suited to tackle the new rules.

Ferrari brought many new technical upgrades and innovations in pre-season, which look to have given them a competitive edge. Ferrari’s test data showed they had ‘excellent traction’ over Mercedes and McLaren with the SF-26.

It puts the Maranello outfit and their drivers in a position to potentially fight for race wins and the championship. Martin Brundle is convinced Hamilton will be better in 2026, believing Ferrari’s innovations will help him.

Likewise, Damon Hill thinks Hamilton is ‘in the mix’ this season after watching testing. His fellow Stay on Track podcast host Herbert is also backing the 41-year-old for success.

Johnny Herbert thinks Lewis Hamilton is in a ‘very strong position’ with his mental capacity in 2026

Hamilton has openly criticised the new regulations as too complex to understand. He was one of many drivers on the grid to express their complaints about the new cars and the implications for the championship.

But Herbert believes that Hamilton, like Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, has the capacity to take on all the new information, thus putting him in a ‘very strong position’.

He said to Hill: “But the important thing as well from a driver, you know this, from a driver’s perspective.

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“The ones who have the biggest capacity to absorb everything that’s happening on the track, everything that’s happening when they’re racing and then take on board everything that they need to do to make sure they don’t make a mistake.

“You make a mistake and it could be a very, very powerful loss of performance or even a race win, for example. So I think the drivers that have got the biggest capacity are probably in a very, very strong position.

“Someone like Max, someone like Fernando, someone like Lewis, I think they have that ability to sort of take on that extra mental approach to absorbing all the information that’s been thrown at them.”

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Damon Hill explains how Michael Schumacher had the ‘mental capacity’ to beat his rivals

Hill then added how Michael Schumacher was renowned for his capacity to not think so much about his driving, whilst also doing ‘other calculations’. He feels Verstappen and Alonso have the same trait.

“It’s the spare mental capacity, isn’t it?” he said. “So it’s Michael that they used to see, Schumacher was very good at that. His driving was so automatic, he didn’t have to think about it. And he had time to do other calculations.

“I mean, Fernando, as we know, is able to think tactically during the race and he doesn’t have to think about driving. Max is pretty much the same.”

Hamilton likely falls into this category as well, and it could give him the advantage heading into the 2026 season. There is huge optimism surrounding Ferrari, but whether they can deliver results is another question.