Lewis Hamilton left the world of Formula 1 stunned with his decision to join Ferrari, a move which the seven-time world champion appears to have made in pursuit of an elusive eighth title
According to Karun Chandhok, a Formula 1 pundit, Lewis Hamilton has “lost confidence” in Mercedes’ ability to win championships.
Recently 39-year-old Hamilton stunned Formula One fans earlier this week by confirming that he had committed to drive for rival Ferrari in 2025. The Brit has been driving for the Brackley-based team for the past 11 years, but his contract with them includes a break clause that allows him to leave. The news comes just five months after the Brit signed a new multi-year contract at Mercedes.
Many have conjectured that Hamilton’s move is sentimental or that he thinks Ferrari has a better chance of helping him win an elusive eighth world title, which would put him ahead of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Hamilton last won a world championship in 2020 and hasn’t won a race since 2021. Naturally, he would have to defeat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the three-time champion and overwhelming favorite for the 2024 title, in order to accomplish that.
“Somehow, somewhere, he’s 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,” says Sky Sports pundit Chandhok, acknowledging the validity of both theories.
The forty-year-old former Formula E and F1 driver also used social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, to analyze the shocking information. “Where’s the logic in a Ferrari move?” was what I was trying to figure out. Chandhok made a post.
Maybe there isn’t any… Lewis has more money than he could ever need, but perhaps his heart was yearning for a fresh challenge because he hasn’t won a race in more than two years. It would be a fantastic legacy to win an eighth championship in a Ferrari!”
As Chandhok noted when he appeared on Sky Sports News, “He’s very conscious of his status as a global spokesperson for various causes,” there may have been off-track factors involved in Hamilton’s decision.
“Ferrari may see this as a means of dragging Formula 1’s biggest brand along for the ride, but he hasn’t exactly jumped on the bandwagon like Mercedes has in terms of supporting initiatives. The fact that there are only two years left in the current rule cycle—2025 is the year that the cycle ends—is, in my opinion, another important consideration.
“In my opinion, the fact that he left for 2025 suggests that he might not think this year’s car will be all that great either, as they won’t be flipping the car over for that year.
“Because we were expecting a brand-new car in ’26. In my opinion, Lewis is saying, “I don’t like what I’ve already seen,” with this sign. We’re going to have difficulties in 2024 and ’25, I believe. I might as well go there, start working at Ferrari in 2025, and get started right away in ’26 since there will be a whole new set of rules.”
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