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Karun Chandhok on Lewis Hamilton’s 2024 Brazil GP: “He Sounded Like He Wanted to Leave”

Anirban Aly Mandal
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Lewis Hamilton, racing for the Mercedes F1 team during the 2023 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Street Circuit in Las Vegas, United States

After a season full of disappointments for Lewis Hamilton, the 2024 Sao Paulo GP seemed like the moment the seven-time world champion finally gave up. Throughout the Grand Prix weekend, the #44 driver seemed out of sync with his W15 and it showed during the race on Sunday when he could only muster a P10 finish at the chequered flag.

In the aftermath of this dismal performance, Sky Sports F1 analyst, Karun Chandhok broke down the Briton’s mentality — hinting at his desire to wrap up his Mercedes career as soon as possible.

“Lewis just sounded dejected and disappointed. He sounded like if it was up to him on Sunday he would just come and drive that demo in Senna’s car and go back to the airport,” he said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

Chandhok went on to explain how the W15 inspired no confidence in the Briton who struggled with grip, traction and braking throughout the race. Chandhok, who himself drove in F1 for the ill-fated HRT team, knows a thing or two about a driver’s mentality when the car is not working with them as it should.

On the other hand, Hamilton‘s soon-to-be team, Ferrari struggled as well. But as Chandhok explained, in the grand scheme of things, the Scuderia find themselves placed better in the pecking order than the Silver Arrows.

Chandhok is excited to see Hamilton with Ferrari in 2025

Only three races remain in Hamilton’s Mercedes career before he gears up to join the iconic Italian team next season. And Chandhok believes the move could rejuvenate the former McLaren driver.

Speaking about Ferrari’s own package and chances, 2025 serves up as the perfect point for the #44 driver to jump onto the project. The Scuderia have found momentum with late-season upgrades and with 2026 on the horizon, Hamilton could be fighting for his eighth title sooner rather than later.

Ferrari have themselves re-jigged their car philosophy to suit the Briton’s driving demands, especially in the suspension department. This could be the beginning of a long-standing domination that Michael Schumacher had made Ferrari fans used to in the early to mid-2000s.

Post Edited By:Aishwary Gaonkar

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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