Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Lewis Hamilton has a genuine, albeit small, chance of securing a record-breaking eighth Formula 1 championship in 2026, but insists Ferrari must throw its full support behind the Briton to make it happen.
Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner suggested that Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur will soon need to implement strict team orders to favour Hamilton over his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton has largely held the upper hand over the Monegasque driver this season, making him the Maranello outfit’s most likely challenger to current championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
“There need to be two things for Lewis to win the championship, the eighth one, and I think that would be a great moment for the sport, somebody winning eight championships. Kimi needs to make some mistakes. If Kimi stays clean, it will be very difficult to do, but Kimi is young and Mercedes has trouble with the car sometimes, mechanical issues.
“At some stage, Ferrari needs to put everything behind Lewis if they are serious about winning it because he’s in front of Charles, so he should get the support,” Steiner explained.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
“I think Fred will be doing that and saying, ‘Hey guys, we need to put our money on one of the guys and not try to have papaya rules here.’ They need the help of Kimi and Mercedes as well. Otherwise, it will be very difficult.”
When asked directly if he thinks Hamilton can claim his eighth title this season, the former team chief said: “I think there is a small chance that it can happen, yes. For me, the biggest thing is how much Kimi and Mercedes will be struggling in the second half of the season.”
Antonelli currently has a 59-point lead over his team-mate George Russell and Hamilton, who are level on points.
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