F1 News: Former Driver Urges Lewis Hamilton To "Look Elsewhere" Before Signing Mercedes Contract
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has urged Lewis Hamilton to look elsewhere before signing a contract extension with Mercedes.
The seven-time champion's contract with the Brackley-based squad has been a talking point since the beginning of the 2023 season as it is due to expire at the end of this year. It is highly expected that Hamilton will negotiate a contract extension with the team. However, Herbert has put forward Ferrari as the best option to be able to win his eighth championship.
The former driver has explained that Ferrari need to get in touch with Hamilton and do a "selling job" to convince him to move, much like Niki Lauda did to entice him to Mercedes in 2013 from McLaren.
During an interview with ICE36, Herbert explained:
“As a racing driver I don’t see why he would not have the motivation, especially for that eighth title.
“He is still good enough. I know what it means for him.
“George Russell is doing a cracking job but Lewis has still got what it takes to win races.
“He is not comfortable with the car, but that happens. Every single driver I know has moments when they feel uncomfortable with their car and complain.
“It is unfair to criticise Lewis for that. The motivation for the eighth is still there.
“But it has to have the right ingredients - like he did when he went from McLaren to Mercedes when a number of people, including myself, thought he was mad to do it.
Herbert went on to explain what he feels Ferrari need to do in this situation. He continued:
"Mercedes at that point were nowhere. What Niki Lauda and Ross Brawn were able to present to him excited him. That’s why he went.
“Ferrari have got to do a similarly big selling job.
“Lewis hasn’t signed his extension and that enables him, if he is still motivated, to look elsewhere.
"And why wouldn’t he? Ferrari has to be the option. He is not going to go to Red Bull, that isn’t going to happen. He is not going to go to Aston Martin either.
“I know Ferrari have not quite been able to achieve what we all expect Ferrari to achieve, but they certainly have the potential to be able to do it. That’s for sure.
“They have got closer over the past couple of years but it hasn’t quite worked out.
Herbert went as far as choosing his ideal driver pairing for Hamilton within the Ferrari team, snubbing Charles Leclerc. He added:
“Maybe he wants to hold on to see which direction Mercedes has gone and what they do, which is not very positive, and then maybe put the feelers out for somewhere else.
“The red car makes the most sense. If it happened, then the one who would suffer would be Carlos Sainz as Charles Leclerc is already concreted in.
“Hamilton and Sainz at Ferrari would be a wonderful pairing, to be honest. The young and the experienced, fighting it out in a Ferrari that hopefully, with the whole ability that Lewis has, to draw in the right people to be able to produce a car and take it to Red Bull as it is at the moment.”