Lewis Hamilton “knew” Mercedes were set for “tough year” before Ferrari decision

Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok is convinced Lewis Hamilton “knew” Mercedes were set for a “tough year” in 2024 before deciding to join Ferrari.

Hamilton’s bombshell move to Ferrari was announced on the eve of the new season at the start of February.

The timing of it caught many, including Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, by surprise.

In the early weeks of 2024, it already looks to be the right decision given Ferrari have the second-fastest car currently, while Mercedes are behind them.

Mercedes’ “bouncing” woes appear to have resurfaced as well, leading to them underperforming relative to their rivals in high-speed corners.

During Sky Sports’ F1 coverage over the weekend, Chandhok and Naomi Schiff were asked if they thought if Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari stemmed from murmurings that Mercedes would struggle.

Schiff said: “I don’t actually think so. It seems they came into the season with really high hopes.

“Maybe they didn’t have the outright pace to beat the Red Bulls but, after testing, there was ambition from them that they’d be the best of the rest, maybe with Ferrari. That hasn’t played out yet.”

Chandhok was more cynical: “I am going to disagree. I think he did know. What they put out there - the messages of positivity - are one thing. But I think he knew that it’s going to be a tough year.”

Hamilton’s complaints of an unstable rear-end was a recurring theme throughout the Saudi Arabia weekend.

Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins feels that’s one of the reasons he’s also decided to join Ferrari.

“He was saying that for all of last year, as well,” she explained. “Possibly, that’s one of the reasons why he’s moving teams.

“He’s still not happy in the car. You can see the set-up changes that they made yesterday, really uncomfortable.

“The high speed looks terrible. You can other cars just pulling away from him. There is a bit of work to be done there.”