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Chandhok expects Hamilton to shine at Ferrari: 'The magic is still there'
- Ludo van Denderen
Lewis Hamilton wants to win the Formula 1 World Championship with his new team, Ferrari, in 2025. Karun Chandhok, former F1 driver and current Sky Sports analyst, is already looking forward to the internal battle Hamilton has to face with his new teammate Charles Leclerc: "For sure, they are the strongest line-up on the grid."
Everyone in the paddock is wondering whether Hamilton will manage to rewrite the history books and win that coveted eighth world title with Ferrari. Karun Chandhok does not assume that the former champion will dominate within Ferrari. "I think Leclerc is also strong, no? I don't think you can discount Leclerc," the Indian stated during an exclusive interview with GPblog.
"I think Lewis and Leclerc will both be very strong. For sure, they are the strongest line-up on the grid. Lewis and Leclerc will be a super strong line-up next year. They will have Lewis' experience of how to win world championships and Leclerc's speed.
"Because I still think in qualifying, my personal opinion is Leclerc is the fastest driver over one lap today in F1. I think his speed in qualifying is unbelievable. I think he's just got something special to pull out extra time over the new tyres for one lap in qualifying. He's pretty magical."
'Hamilton wins when he can win'
Hamilton is having a difficult season at Mercedes but showed at times that he still has "it", said Chandhok. "We saw in Silverstone that when the car is strong and ready to win, he can win. We saw it in Spa also. So when the car is right, Lewis still has the magic. Silverstone, what he did in the last 15 laps, only Lewis, Max or Fernando [Alonso] can do that. That pace and managing the tyres, that was magic Lewis. He still has it."
If Hamilton's Mercedes does not have the speed to compete for podium spots this season, his motivation seems to dip. Chandhok says: "If you go back and read anything from 1993 about Senna, and what some people at the McLaren team said at the time about him. When there was a chance of a victory, Senna was there. That's why he won five races that year. He was a three-time world champion. Where is the motivation to finish in fifth place? What is the use of getting another fifth place? The motivation is different when you can win."
"This is where they are human beings. And we have to accept they're human beings. For Lewis, the motivation to finish P5, P6, that cannot be the same [as racing for a win]. They're not robots," Chandhok argued.