Hamilton 'lost confidence' in Mercedes and joined Ferrari to fight Verstappen
Formula 1 pundit Karun Chandhok has suggested that Lewis Hamilton has "lost confidence" in Mercedes as a championship-winning team.
Hamilton, who recently turned 39, left F1 fans gobsmacked earlier this week when it was confirmed that he'd agreed to drive for rivals Ferrari in 2025. The news comes just five months after the Brit signed a new multi-year contract at Mercedes, but his agreement with the Brackley-based team, who he's spent the past 11 years driving for, includes a break clause allowing him to leave.
Having last won a world championship in 2020 and without a single race win since 2021, many have speculated that Hamilton's move is either sentimental or he believes that Ferrari have a greater chance of helping him win an elusive eighth world title which would take him clear of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. To do that, of course, he'd need to beat the three-time champion and clear favourite for the 2024 crown, Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Sky Sports pundit Chandhok can see both theories being true, saying: "Somehow, somewhere, he's either lost confidence in the Mercedes project and doesn't believe they can give him a chance to fight Max Verstappen, or it's just the romantic lure of being in red."
The 40-year-old ex-F1 and Formula E driver also took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to analyse the bombshell news. "I was trying to understand, 'Where's the logic in a Ferrari move?'" Chandhok posted.
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"Perhaps there isn't any… Lewis has more money than he could ever spend, and hasn't won a race in over 2 years & maybe his heart wanted a new challenge. To win an eighth title in a Ferrari would be an incredible legacy!"
There are potential reasons off the track behind Hamilton's decision, as Chandhok added when appearing on Sky Sports News: "He's very conscious of his status as a global spokesperson for various causes.
Your turn! Will Lewis Hamilton win an eighth world title with Ferrari? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
Lewis Hamilton is determined to get one over on Max Verstappen (Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)"Ferrari hasn't really got on the bandwagon in terms of supporting initiatives in the same way Mercedes has, and maybe he does see this as a way to drag what is undoubtedly Formula 1's biggest brand on a journey. I think, also, the crucial point to think about is we've got two years left in this rule cycle - 2025 is the final year of the current cycle.
"To me, the fact that he's gone for '25 indicates perhaps that he doesn't think this year's car is going to be great either because they're not going to turn the car upside down for 2025.
"Because, in '26, we got a whole new car coming. So, to me, this is a sign that Lewis is going 'I don't like what I've seen already. I think we're going to struggle in 2024 and '25'. I might as well go there, get my feet under the door at Ferrari in 2025 and hit the ground running for '26 with a brand new set of regulations coming."
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