23 November 2023 , 18:52
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Johnny Herbert is convinced Lewis Hamilton will remain with Mercedes for the rest of his career despite claims the Brit sought talks with their main Formula 1 rivals.
Christian Horner claimed Hamilton had been in touch with his Red Bull team prior to signing a fresh contract extension with the Silver Arrows. The team boss also asserted that rumours the Brit had held talks with Ferrari were also true.
But Hamilton snapped back and accused the Red Bull chief of "stirring things". He responded: "I don't really get where that story has come from. I don't know what he is talking about because, as far as I am aware, nobody from my team has spoken to him. I haven't really spoken to him in years.
"He did reach out to me earlier in the year about meeting up but that's it. I congratulated him on an amazing year and said I hoped I would be fighting withRed Bull in the coming years. That was it, there was no confidential discussion."
Former racer and Sky Sports F1 pundit Herbert is sure that the seven-time world champion is not looking to leave Mercedes. "Knowing the character that Lewis is, he is committed to the team and will work his hardest to help with the transition to a better place," he told Genting Casino.
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"I have never seen his character change, never seen massive frustrations from him. He is the ultimate professional and I don't think you see him ever throw the dummy. They have obviously told him positive things for next year's car and he's hoping that will give him what he wants."
It will take some improvement for Mercedes to catch Red Bull any time soon. The RB19 has been by far the quickest car on the grid all year and Hamilton has said himself that it will be a mammoth task for Mercedes to improve enough to give their rivals a tough fight in 2024.
Nevertheless, Herbert is not willing to rule Hamilton and his team out of a title fight just yet. He believes the team has the know-how and their driver possesses the drive necessary to make it happen if the stars align.
He added: "There is always a chance that Mercedes can beat Red Bull next season and, yes, Mercedes have the right ingredients with their technology at the race track and back at the factory and their know-how. They have the ingredients but trying to beat the near perfection of Red Bull is a tough thing to do.
"I think they can beat Red Bull in time but the last two years have shown they haven't been able to get on top of the problems they have had. Lewis Hamilton could finish second, but that is not the goal. There will be no thought about finishing second. His whole mindset is about winning and taking the fight to Max Verstappen and himself getting that eighth title."