Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert believes Lewis Hamilton should still be considered a contender for the 2026 Drivers’ Championship. However, he also warned that Ferrari’s biggest obstacle is the inconsistency of the SF-26, a weakness that could ultimately prevent the Scuderia from mounting a sustained title challenge against Mercedes.
Austria exposed Ferrari’s inconsistency
Ferrari endured one of its most disappointing weekends of the season at the Austrian Grand Prix. After arriving at the Red Bull Ring with high expectations following the victory in Barcelona, the Scuderia struggled throughout the weekend and ultimately emerged as only the fourth-fastest team.
That outcome was particularly frustrating given the momentum Ferrari had built just one race earlier. Team principal Frederic Vasseur later acknowledged that the team’s strategic approach may have been too ambitious, with Ferrari focusing too much on the bigger picture and ultimately losing ground not only to Mercedes and Red Bull but also to McLaren.
Despite the disappointing result, Lewis Hamilton limited the damage in the championship battle. The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion lost only five points to Drivers’ Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli and now sits 46 points behind heading into the next phase of the season.
Johnny Herbert: Lewis Hamilton remains a title contender
Speaking to Vision4Sport, which offers Formula 1 hospitality packages, Johnny Herbert insisted that Lewis Hamilton should not yet be discounted from the championship fight, although he questioned whether Ferrari can deliver the consistency required over an entire season.
“Perhaps you can’t rule Hamilton out of the title fight,” Johnny Herbert said. “But Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are going to have good weekends and bad weekends. Austria was one of those bad weekends.”
“After Barcelona, they weren’t able to maintain that momentum. They simply haven’t found the consistency that has become Mercedes’ greatest strength.”
Consistency could decide the championship
Johnny Herbert’s comments underline one of the defining themes of Ferrari’s season. When the SF-26 operates within its ideal performance window, it has shown that it can fight at the front and even challenge for victories. However, when conditions move away from that narrow operating range, Ferrari has struggled to remain competitive against its main rivals.
Mercedes, by contrast, has consistently maximised opportunities across different circuits and track conditions, allowing the team to score heavily even on weekends when outright pace has not been dominant.
With a significant portion of the Formula 1 season still remaining, Lewis Hamilton remains firmly in the championship conversation. However, if Ferrari is to transform that possibility into a genuine title challenge, the Scuderia will need to eliminate the performance swings that have characterised its campaign so far and deliver competitive results on every type of circuit.
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