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F1 pundit Karun Chandhok wonders if Lewis Hamilton was already aware of the lack of progress at Mercedes for the 2024 season, which led to his move to Ferrari. The 2024 F1 season has started in the worst possible fashion for Hamilton. Statistically, this is his worst start to the season.
He's had one DNF and two very average outings in Bahrain and Jeddah. During this, Mercedes has struggled as well. Even though the car continues to be touted as the best from the team in the hybrid era, the results don't show it. During this time, Ferrari has surged as well.
The Italian team had a 1-2 finish in Australia and ended Max Verstappen's 9-race winning streak. Talking about the underperforming Mercedes and the strong run from Ferrari, Karun Chandhok wondered if this lack of performance was already evident to Lewis Hamilton when he made the decision to switch to Ferrari.
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Talking about the dynamics, he told Sky F1:
“The timing of his decision, it couldn’t have been out of nothing. The timing suggests he had some inkling that it wasn’t going to be great, so I might as well take the chance to try something new."
He added:
"If he thought Mercedes were going to give him a car that would win him the championship this year and in 2025, I don’t think he would have left. We all know what happened with Max’s retirement, but I imagine Lewis took a little bit of satisfaction at seeing the Ferrari one-two.”
Ferrari being a better package than Mercedes will comfort Lewis Hamilton
Karun Chandhok also felt the fact that Mercedes was a worse package at the moment compared to Ferrari would be a comforting factor for Lewis Hamilton. The British driver's future is with the Italian team, and if momentum is anything to go by, the team from Maranello has a lot of it while the German team does not.
Chandhok said:
“It’s natural that Lewis will feel comforted. He knows he’s probably not going to win the World Championship this year unless there is a miraculous turnaround, so he might as well look to the future. And at the moment, the Ferrari is a better package than the Mercedes.”
Lewis Hamilton will complete what will be his 12th year with Mercedes, a record in F1 before his move to Ferrari. The driver would be hoping to end his stint with the German team on the best possible note.
