Danica Patrick thinks there’s still some tension in the Mercedes team because Lewis Hamilton is leaving. She and Karun Chandhok believe the issue isn’t as big as some fans might think and shared their thoughts on what’s happening.
Hamilton, who joined Mercedes in 2013, has won six of his seven world titles with them. Most of his race wins also came with this team. Fans hoped his last season would be full of podium finishes, but now that he’s moving to Ferrari in 2025, people are wondering if this big change has affected the team’s spirit.
Changes for Mercedes and Hamilton
During the Spanish Grand Prix coverage on Sky Sports, Danica Patrick and Karun Chandhok discussed the situation.
Patrick said: “If I’m going to guess, I’m sure he obviously wants to do everything he can to win, but he knows that he’s leaving, and I’m sure that might be making things different inside the team. There’s no way around the fact that he’s leaving, and they can’t share everything. Who knows? But that’s the normal way of it when you’re leaving, so I’m guessing that he wants to make the best of every situation. However, there is always that contingency in his head of ‘But I’m leaving’.”
Hamilton and Mercedes hope for at least one more victory together before 2024 ends. With upgrades improving their car’s speed, there’s a chance Hamilton could get back on the podium at Catalunya after taking P1 in FP2.
But as Patrick hinted, their long-standing relationship will have to change since they can’t share info that might help Ferrari once Hamilton joins them. Chandhok agreed but dismissed any “sabotaging” rumors.
“I think it would be normal to be gravitating towards George in terms of information sharing,” Chandhok said. “But I think back to when Mercedes had Nico and Lewis or even Valtteri; they never favored anyone regarding updates or strategy.”
Fans might feel uneasy about these changes
Chandhok continued: “As a team philosophically, they are very good about giving both drivers equal opportunities and chances. I know there have been rumblings all over the internet about favoring George and all sorts of stuff, but nobody with Mercedes wants to finish on a low with Lewis Hamilton.”
Mercedes aims for a strong finish with Hamilton over these next 15 races despite all speculations online.
What do you think will happen next?
