Ex-Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has urged Lewis Hamilton to “be honest” with himself about the right time for him to consider retirement.
Hamilton, now in his sophomore year with Ferrari, is arguably nearing towards the end of his illustrious F1 career.
The seven-time World Champion is statistically the greatest driver in the history of the sport, with an unparalleled 105 wins and a championship tally only equalled by the great Michael Schumacher.
The former McLaren and Mercedes driver himself has been bullish about fighting on-track, in F1, for more glory.
But, at 41, Herbert believes that the Briton owes himself to “be honest” about when it is the right time for him to hang up his racing helmet.
“Probably the one thing I would probably say, if I was close to him, was be honest,” he said when asked if he had any advice for Hamilton on the Stay On Track podcast.
“Because there is a point where things aren’t going to be as easy as they once were. Your competitiveness is probably not going to be where it once was.
“There is a point where you’re going to have to sort of go: ‘It’s not quite where it was, and I’ve got to go. I’ve had my time'”.
Herbert also highlighted how with a young team-mate like Charles Leclerc alongside him at the iconic Italian marque, time always seems to catch up faster than usual.
“He’s with a younger teammate as well, who is sort of that next generation that we’ve seen, and there is always going to be that as well.”
Herbert draws parallels for Lewis Hamilton’s F1 retirement theory
The former F1 driver explained how all the greats of this sport haven’t been infallible.
While during their respective heydays they seemed to exponentially improve, there always comes a point of saturation – only augmented by age and a spirited young pretender.
“With all the races that we’ve seen in the past, the world champions we’ve had, from the Fittipaldis, to before that, the Stewarts and the Clarks, then with the Piquets and Mansells, yourself, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, and etc, it always gets better. They always get more complete, for some reason,” Herbert added.
“And that is where things change, and where you get to a point where you go, ‘It’s not as easy as it once was.’
“So for me, I think it’s just being honest with yourself, and when you need to sort of go, ‘I need to hang my boots up.’
He’s motivated. He’s still thoroughly pushing himself to the limits. But, of course, he’s being tested by Charles. But is he at the point where it’s as easy as it once was.
“When you’re sort of riding the wave, it’s quite easy in many respects. But there is a point, I remember at the end of my career, where it wasn’t as easy, and then that’s where I went, ‘I think time has come’.”
As far as the 2026 campaign is concerned, however, Hamilton looks nowhere near ready to stop. The SF-26 seems to have brought back his mojo, and with his maiden Ferrari podium in China he sits fourth, only seven points behind Leclerc, in third, in the drivers’ standings.
READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton brands F1 success ‘not all it’s cracked up to be’ in surprise career assessment
Discussion about this post