"The era of Hamilton and Mercedes’ triumphs is now over": Former Ferrari star dismisses prospects of an 8th title for Lewis Hamilton

Former championship contender and Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine feels Lewis Hamilton's chance of being an eight-time world champion is gone. The Mercedes driver was within touching distance of another triumph in 2021, which would have broken the record for the most titles by an F1 driver. Hamilton is currently tied with legendary driver Michael Schumacher in that regard.

Unfortunately for him, Michael Masi's decision to restart the race in Abu Dhabi in 2021 put an end to his title march and titled the balance in Max Verstappen's favor.

Since then, Lewis Hamilton has not had the opportunity to even fight for the title. The last two seasons have seen Mercedes produce some very poor cars which have further killed any hopes of Hamilton fighting for the title.

Irvine told La Gazzetta Dello Sport that he does not see a path for Hamilton to become an eight-time world champion.

“The era of Hamilton and Mercedes’ triumphs is now over. But Lewis is still a very good driver, very goal-oriented, and willing to get results. He is still doing a great job behind the wheel of an F1 car even if the comparison with Verstappen is tough, because Max is younger, has a bit more speed and a huge belief in his own means," he said.

“Hamilton’s prospects will depend on how competitive Mercedes will be in 2024. If Toto Wolff’s team returns to a fast car, then Lewis could certainly win one or more races, something he has failed to do in the last two seasons. With his experience, he has shown that he knows how to take every opportunity that comes his way in both qualifying and the race. However, I doubt that he will be able to take the Championship again and realise his dream of winning an eighth title,” Irvine added.

Lewis Hamilton's current contract extends until 2025

Lewis Hamilton's current Mercedes contract runs until 2025 and the driver has even talked about racing beyond 40 years of age. The Brit has not had the best of runs in terms of what he could achieve in the car over the last two seasons.

Mercedes was third in the championship in 2022 and second in in 2023. In neither of those two years, Hamilton had a car with which he could fight for the title.

He will be heading into the 2024 F1 season hopeful of Mercedes making progress. It remains to be seen, however, if that progress will be enough for the German team to challenge Red Bull and Max Verstappen for the title.