Lewis Hamilton has been warned that Ferrari could look to Christian Horner for help if they repeat their last year’s woes this season.

Three-time Formula One race winner Johnny Herbert told talkSPORT that he’s never seen Hamilton as ‘grumpy’ as he has last year.

Hamilton finished the worst statistical campaign of his career with an eighth-place drive at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The result ensured the Brit failed to register a single podium finish for a main race for the first time in his 20-year F1 career.

His barren run of results saw the 41-year-old declare 2025 was his ‘worst season ever’, and sparked a flurry of retirement rumours.

Hamilton ultimately fulfilled his claim to fans to return for 2026, but is without a race engineer, and has reportedly split with his long-time manager, Marc Hynes, weeks ahead of the new season.

Former F1 driver and FIA steward Herbert agreed the regulation changes for the sport this year has added extra pressure for his compatriot to prove he is not in a sustained decline.

“It does [feel pivotal] after the difficulty of this year, especially,” Herbert exclusively told talkSPORT, via Prime Casino in December. “I’ve never seen him as grumpy.

“So there is that frustration that he’s having at Ferrari at the moment.

“He’s frustrated with his own performances, but then he’s also looking across the garage and seeing Charles Leclerc actually being able to dig out some podium finishes and generally be faster than Lewis throughout the season. But he wants to put that right, and I understand that.

“He’s still got the desire because if he had lost that desire, I think he would have walked away. But he’s still got that determination.

“Again, it’s another hope that Ferrari want to turn things around with the new challenges of next year and all the changes that are coming, and maybe they’ll be able to supply him the car that he needs as well.

Hamilton ‘going to have to work very hard’

“I think all the drivers are going to be trying to achieve exactly the same goals, but it’s only what the team is able to supply to them.

“But it’s good he’s still there. I still love watching him when he’s on the racetrack. He’s been so good.

“He’s great. An ambassador for Formula 1. And hopefully he’ll have a better, stronger year because I think there’s a lot of support around there that want him to see that eighth championship come his way.

“But he’s going to have to work very hard for it because there’s a very, very tough generation with Lando Norris now winning his first world championship. Max Verstappen, we know how strong he’s going to be.

“But also his team-mate, as well as the younger generations, [Kimi] Antonelli, [Arvid] Lindblad, Isack Hadjar, moving up to Red Bull, that are going to be very tough for the elder statesmen of Formula 1.”

Could Christian Horner be the solution?

Horner was strongly linked with replacing Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur in July, before the latter signed a new contract.

The 52-year-old has been out of F1 since last summer when he was dismissed by Red Bull following their decline in performance.

However, Horner remains one of the most successful executives in F1 history, winning eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ championships.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently claimed on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan that he thinks ‘unbelievable team boss’ Horner will be back.

And Herbert, a former teammate of Michael Schumacher, suggested a shrewd move to Ferrari could return the Prancing Horse to the glory days of his fellow ex-Benetton racer.

He added to talkSPORT: “I think from now to the start of next season, I think there is not really any places, probably at the moment, so maybe there’s potential to maybe try and work on something with a particular team that maybe needs that change if things don’t go well, probably next year. I think that would be the key.

“Whatever team, for example, Ferrari, Ferrari don’t get themselves in a position where they’re fighting for race wins and most importantly for a world championship. Maybe that’s one of those places that could be of interest to Ferrari and Christian because one, Ferrari wants someone to be able to bring it back to those wonderful winning ways that we saw with Michael Schumacher, for example.

“We haven’t seen it for a long, long time. And would Christian be that fit?

“Would Christian be that person who could attract the right personnel that you need to be able to achieve a championship-winning constructor, but more importantly, the drivers one.

“So next year, I think it would be quite pivotal on what teams probably need to have that little bit of a shake-up.”

Horner, meanwhile, has now addressed rumours linking him to a return to F1 after Alpine confirmed he is among a group of investors interested in purchasing a stake in the French team.

“Well, look, so far I’ve been going to pretty much every team on the grid,” he told TODAY when asked about the recent rumours.

“I’ve spoken very little publicly since I left Red Bull. It’s flattering that there’s often this speculation that I’m going to this team or that team, but that’s rife in Formula 1.

“I’d only come back for the right opportunity, working with the right people that are like-minded and want to win. I’ve got no interest in just taking part.”