Hamilton tipped for fairytale Ferrari title glory

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has backed Lewis Hamilton to fight for the drivers' title this year, in what is his first campaign with Ferrari. 

The seven-time world champion's move to Maranello from Mercedes has been touted as the biggest in the history of the pinnacle of motorsport, with much being expected of Hamilton. 

Ferrari has not won a drivers' title since Kimi Raikkonen claimed the crown in 2007 after the Finn defeated both McLarens of Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. 

Hamilton joins Ferrari after a difficult 2024 with Mercedes, where his confidence appeared to hit an all-time low. 

He complained of no longer being fast enough; however, Herbert is confident the 40-year-old still has what it takes to fight for an eighth crown.

"The motivation at Ferrari and with a good car that can give him the speed that he needs to beat everybody else, Lewis Hamilton can definitely win another championship," Herbert told Casinoutanspelpaus.

"The motivation is going to be one thing. The motivation he's going to get from the car is definitely improved with fewer little mistakes. 

"I could probably criticise Hamilton a bit and say there have been more mistakes from him than I've seen before, but I think the situation at Mercedes didn’t help."

Hamilton move the 'right timing'

With Hamilton having recently turned 40, his switch to racing in red is viewed by many as likely the final move of his F1 career. 

Whilst George Russell out-qualified and out-performed Hamilton last year, the 105-time race winner still delivered some exceptional performances. 

The Briton was strong in the Abu Dhabi season finale and, in particular, demonstrated his ability en-route to victory in the British Grand Prix. 

Herbert is convinced Hamilton is still up for the fight and that with Ferrari having ended 2024 strongly, his move might have come at the perfect time.

“Last year, we saw him produce some brilliant racing in the last couple of races, he was really strong," added Herbert. 

"Hamilton is definitely hungry enough for the title now, it's down to Fred Vasseur to give him the car that he can actually achieve in.

"2025 is a good opportunity for Ferrari to improve from what they had in 2024, and come with a much more competitive package for 2025. 

"It just may be the right timing, but then going further forward for 2026, where it's the same thing, it's still about getting the car right."