Ferrari should use the Formula 1 off-season to ‘rebuild’ Lewis Hamilton’s confidence in his qualifying abilities; Sky Sports F1Karun Chandhok.
Hamilton has struggled over the course of a lap, outscoring Mercedes team-mate George Russell 23-6 in both the grand prix and sprint sessions this season, but the pair have moved closer to race pace.
This weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, will be the last of Hamilton’s historic 12-year career at Mercedes before his blockbuster move to Ferrari next season.
Speaking of the latest episode of the show Sky Sports F1 PodcastChandhok doubted whether Hamilton would be able to match the pace of his new Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.
“Personally, I think it will be a problem in 2025 unless he can rediscover his qualifying form,” Chandhok said. “I don’t know if (Ferrari president) John Elkann and (Ferrari team principal) Fred Wasser are worried, but if I were Lewis I would be worried.
“If you’re two-tenths down, it can be four or five places. We’ve seen this year with George, he’s often a little bit behind and then he’s three, four places down.
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Lewis Hamilton disappointed with his car and performance in his penultimate Grand Prix with Mercedes
“He had a great race (in Las Vegas) and Fred Wasser was quick to point it out. But he still made two mistakes in qualifying. And it was George who took pole.
“If Lewis hadn’t made those mistakes, he would have won that race. I think he had a great race pace. So there’s no doubt that the magic is still there on Sunday.
“We’ve seen it at Silverstone, we’ve seen it in places like Barcelona where it’s kind of under the radar. The magic is still there on Sunday, but the way he qualified is a real worry.”
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Lewis Hamilton has apologized for the wrong start and pit lane incident, but says he and the Mercedes car “do not agree” after finishing 12th in Qatar.
Hamilton has taken a record 104 pole positions in his F1 career, but the seven-time world champion has only started once in the last three seasons, at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Apart from three days of pre-season testing in February, Hamilton’s only opportunity to drive a Ferrari before his debut campaign with the Italian will be in limited sessions where teams will be able to run their previous cars.
Chandhok believes Ferrari must believe that any run Hamilton makes before the start of the 2025 season must be primarily focused on qualifying results.
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Lewis Hamilton asks Peter Bonnington to ‘retire the car’ after receiving a driving penalty.
“Whether they’re using the old car testing that they’re going to do with the 2022 or 2023 car to just go out there and give it some new qualifying runs on the tires to try and get its confidence back,” Chandhok added.
“He seems to have extremely low self-confidence when it comes to qualifying, which again is strange to see, but it’s true.
“Ferrari, I think, will have to be proactive in terms of rebuilding their confidence ahead of the season in Melbourne.”
Wolff thanked Hamilton ahead of the Abu Dhabi “celebration”.
Ahead of Hamilton’s farewell to Mercedes, Silver Arrow team principal Toto Wolff insisted the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be a “celebration” of what the driver and team have achieved together.
“After 12 incredible years, we are going to write the final chapter of our racing history with Lewis this weekend,” Wolff said during a preview of Mercedes’ official events.
“It’s been quite a journey. When we first started working together in 2013, we couldn’t imagine what was to come. Six drivers’ titles, 84 pole positions, 153 podiums in F1 history the most successful driver and team collaboration in
“Our relationship is about more than just numbers and statistics. It’s a legacy that has a lasting impact beyond the racetrack. It’s been a struggle for inclusion in our sport.” catalyst for everything, and we’ve been honored and proud to work hand-in-hand with him, but it won’t stop at the end of this year because of the impetus Lewis led.
“This weekend is a celebration of what we’ve achieved together. Lewis’ partnership with Mercedes has been 26 years in the making so far.”
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Ahead of his final race for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi, take a look back at his Silver Arrows debut at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.
Wolff confirmed that the farewell tour for Hamilton will include a leisure center at the headquarters of the team’s title sponsor Petronas in Malaysia, as well as Mercedes’ factories in Germany and the United Kingdom.
“We will honor this unparalleled history in Abu Dhabi and over the next week when we visit Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart and then, finally, Brixworth and Brackley,” Wolff said. Lewis will always be a part of our family.
“For now, though, our focus is on the race weekend. There’s no better way to mark the end of our time together than with a strong performance on the track. The whole team is focused on adding another milestone .
“We also want to finish the season on the front foot. It will help us build momentum going into the winter and beyond as we open the next chapter in our story in 2025. With George as the senior driver and Kimi as an exciting rookie talent, our future is bright, but let’s finish this head the right way, Lewis.
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Former F1 world champion Jenson Button has called on Lewis Hamilton to address comments he made about his driving speed, urging him to consider that he is not “slow”.
Sky Sports F1 live Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Thursday, December 5
11:00: Drivers’ press conference
Friday December 6
5.45: F1 Academy practice
7am: F2 practice
9:00 a.m. Abu Dhabi GP practice first (session starts at 9.30am)*
10.55: F2 qualifying
12.45. Abu Dhabi GP Second Practice (session starts at 13.00)*
14.30. F1 Academy Qualification*
15.15: F1 show*
Saturday December 7
8.10: F1 Academy Race One
10.15. Abu Dhabi GP third practice session (session starts at 10.30am)
12.10: F2 Sprint race
13.15. Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying
14:00. ABU DHABI GP QUALIFYING*
16:00: F1 Academy: Race Two
5:00 PM Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday, December 8
7.10: The third race of the F1 Academy
9.20: F2 feature race
11.30. Grand Prix Sunday. Abu Dhabi GP Rally
13:00 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
At 15:00. Checkered flag. Abu Dhabi GP reaction
16:00: Ted’s notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Watch the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1 this coming week at 1pm on Sunday. Get Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW
