Max Verstappen discussed as a possible Lewis Hamilton replacement at Ferrari by pundit

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert feels that Max Verstappen as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari does not appear to be a possibility. The 2025 F1 season has not been the best for either of the two world champions.

For Hamilton, he joined Ferrari amid a lot of fanfare. It was going to be a partnership of the most successful driver in F1 with the most successful team. That is not how it has turned out so far, though. Hamilton's form as a driver has been a concern, and at the same time, the Italian team has taken a step back in terms of performance as well.

For Hamilton, it's not been easy, and it has been made worse by the fact that the driver who is in the other Ferrari is Charles Leclerc and has been performing at a high level. While Hamilton is yet to break the podium duck, his teammate already has five podiums in the bag and could have even won the race in Hungary if not for issues with the car.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, is defending his championship but does not have the tools to put up a fight. The Red Bull challenger is just not fast enough, and as a result, the driver is just too far behind in the championship stakes.

With Lewis Hamilton's outburst in front of the media in Hungary, there have been conversations of a possible retirement as well. If that does happen, Johnny Herbert doesn't think a Ferrari-Max Verstappen lineup is on the table. According to Herbert, the team would potentially go for a younger talent, as he told Grosvenor Casino,

"I don't think Verstappen would arrive. I think Ferrari could focus on a youngster (Bearman is a Ferrari Driver Academy driver) or Sainz could return, given that I've read he'd always say yes to a call from Ferrari. He's struggling more than expected at Williams now, but he's been really strong at Ferrari and was on the same level as Leclerc, and ultimately, Sainz is still young."

Lewis Hamilton faces backlash with his attitude

Lewis Hamilton's attitude and somewhat downbeat demeanor came under a lot of criticism after the F1 Hungarian GP. Former Ferrari man Jean Alesi felt that the driver's attitude demoralizes everyone around him, and this was something that a Senna or a Schumacher would not have done. He wrote in his Corriere della Sera column,

"Hamilton's attitude demoralizes everyone who works with him. Neither Senna nor Schumacher would have said anything like that.”

The first few races after the summer break are going to be crucial for Lewis Hamilton, as the driver cannot continue to have this level of performance with Charles Leclerc in the other car.