Lewis Hamilton has been warned 2026 will be his final chance to win an eighth Drivers’ Championship after a frustrating start to life at Ferrari.

The 40-year-old Briton moved to Maranello with the aim of securing his record-breaking eighth title but after a slow start, he has now been told that 2026 is now or never.

Lewis Hamilton given now or never F1 2026 title warning

Should he fail to win it this season, Hamilton will have gone five years without a Drivers’ title, the joint-longest drought of his career, and Johnny Herbert has warned if he does not do it in 2026 then he never will.

“I think 2026 is Lewis Hamilton‘s final chance at getting the eighth championship,” Herbert told AceOdds. “He’s 40 years old now, is he in his prime? No. Has that prime past? Yes. Is he still really good? Yes.

“But, Charles Leclerc is better than Hamilton at the moment, so even if the Ferrari improves, he needs to beat his teammate.”

Herbert said that Hamilton needed the change of scenery that came with the move to Ferrari, suggesting that it looked like he was losing motivation at Mercedes.

“Last season, the Mercedes was so inconsistent, sometimes it could win races, then struggle to get anywhere near the podium. Lewis Hamilton, I felt, was also losing motivation at the team and was frustrated.

“The one who always found motivation was Ayrton Senna. He would come back later than most for testing and then found himself winning championships. Hamilton needed that refresh at Ferrari.

“After a difficult race in Australia, Hamilton’s season at Ferrari looked really impressive and promising in China with the Sprint win, but since then, it’s not really clicked. Charles Leclerc is having a better, consistent season with some strong performances, but at the moment, the Ferrari is just about getting podiums. It’s not in a bad shape.

“They’re the fourth or third-best team, they need to make a jump to the next level to compete with the McLaren and Red Bull. Lewis will need to be at his best to beat Charles this season, the pressure is on.

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“There is an element of settling in for Hamilton, but I thought he would have gotten past that by now and shown he’s quicker than Charles Leclerc. It just hasn’t happened yet. Leclerc came into Ferrari and took the team away from Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton hasn’t quite done that yet, and Leclerc is still controlling the situation with his consistency and speed. Hamilton is consistently eighth or ninth at the moment.

“I think if Hamilton stayed at Mercedes, George Russell would be making it hard for Lewis as Leclerc is right now. The move to Ferrari was the correct decision for a new start, but will we see the Lewis of old? That’s in his hands.”

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