F1 2026: Lewis Hamilton 'shocked' as Fernando Alonso given title nod

Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Legends

Lewis Hamilton 'shocked' as Fernando Alonso given title nod

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are the oldest drivers on the grid

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 14 January 2026 08:27 Updated: 08:58

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Former F1 racer Johnny Herbert has made an astonishing claim about Lewis Hamilton's chances of claiming a championship with Ferrari compared to his long-term rival Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton joined Ferrari in January 2025, but has not achieved a single podium finish in a grand prix as of yet, and finished all the way down in sixth in the 2025 drivers' championship.

The seven-time world champion's form last year was dismal compared to his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who secured seven podiums in the same car, and inflicted Hamilton's heaviest ever team-mate defeat, finishing 86 points above the Brit.

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Hamilton is now 41 years of age, but is still not the oldest driver on the grid, with old enemy and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso still going at 44.

Alonso races with Aston Martin, and is hoping to be still around in the sport when the outfit get their act together and start challenging for race victories and potentially championships under the stewardship of Adrian Newey.

Now, Herbert has said that he would back Alonso more than Hamilton to be able to return right to the very top of the sport, despite Alonso's last title coming back in 2006 and Hamilton's in 2020.

"If I look at those two, and I go, right, which one would I expect, if he were given the car, which one would be the one I put my money on? And I probably, unfortunately, sadly, say I’d probably go Fernando," Herbert told the Stay on Track podcast.

"Fernando, he’s in a bad car in that Aston Martin. It’s not the best. It’s sort of there or thereabouts sometimes. But he’s able to sort of squeeze that extra something out of it.

"And I never saw that happen last year with Lewis, which I’m sort of shocked that we never ever saw that.

"I’m sure he’s very frustrated and shocked that he wasn’t able to do it. And then I look at his face and those interviews after the race, and you go, he’s lost. He cannot understand what he needs to do to get around the problem he’s got. And of course, Charles is getting around it."

Can Hamilton and Alonso bounce back?

2026 sees wholesale regulation changes entering F1, which may provide an opportunity for Ferrari to make a jump on their rivals, if they can master the new power unit and car design regulations.

It also provides an opportunity for Hamilton to drive a different type of car, having struggled so much in the ground effect era. The 41-year-old has claimed just two race victories since the last major regulation changes in 2022.

While an eighth world title seems a long way off, Hamilton would love the opportunity to be able to add to his record 105 grands prix victories next season.

The same can be said of Alonso, who probably believes that a third world championship is beyond him now at the age of 44.

But a 33rd career victory could certainly be a possibility if Aston Martin can get their act together, with the Spaniard not having won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, 13 seasons ago.

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