Johnny Herbert thinks Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris will be fighting for the same seats if they decide to make a switch to be more competitive.
Much has been made about Hamilton's future over the past two weeks, since Mercedes' poor performance in Bahrain. The seven-time champion's public criticism of the team in the wake of that result also fuelled speculation that he might consider leaving the Silver Arrows.
That race in Bahrain was also one to forget for McLaren. Norris visited the pit lane six times in total as his team managed a pneumatic engine issue which limited his performance, while team-mate Oscar Piastri had to retire with an electrical issue after just 13 laps.
Speculation over his future is nothing new, given he has the reputation of a future champion but is yet to win an F1 race. Norris is contracted until 2025 and has regularly insisted he is with the team for the long haul, but the feeling remains that he will look elsewhere if McLaren cannot match his ambitions.
Speaking on his Lift the Lid podcast with Billy Monger, former Sky Sports pundit Herbert feels both Hamilton and Norris will be looking at the same seats if they choose to assess their options. "Not every single season goes smoothly, as we know. It's something that I think will benefit Lando," he said.
"We're one race in. Yes, it doesn't look very positive from his perspective, but there is that planning of, 'Do I want to stick with this?' There is a long-term contract and we'll have to see if there are these options in there, maybe based on performance, which allows him to move around.
"So yes, he'll be trying to work out, 'Where can I go if I feel we get half way through this season and we're still absolutely nowhere, or we haven't made a step forward and I don't feel that there is a chance of us being able to have a chance of winning a race. I need to make a move'.
"But now, it's trying to plot and work out where those places would be. The only two I could really realistically see – I could see Lewis, if he's having another tough year, thinking, 'I'm either going to quit, or there's Red Bull possibly replacing Sergio [Perez], or going to Ferrari to replace Carlos [Sainz].
"That's the same for Lando. If Lando wants to make the move, they're the two teams. I suppose he could go Mercedes, but he knows they're the struggling ones in the top three and now Aston Martin have knocked them down to fourth.
"So that would probably be his plan. If he has started to think about it – I'd be surprised if he hasn't, because I know what we're like as drivers, we always like to plan ahead. I hope it improves and I hope it gets better because I think we all love McLaren and what they're all about."
