‘Gold standard’ Mercedes to Ferrari – Chandhok highlights major Hamilton stumbling block

From “gold standard” radio communication with Peter Bonnington to radio back-and-forth with Riccardo Adami, Karun Chandhok believes Lewis Hamilton has been hamstrung this season by his fledging relationship with his race engineer.

Now 24 races into his Ferrari career, Hamilton recorded an unwanted first at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the Briton went the entire season without a grand prix podium, his first in 19 years.

‘I think there’s a wider thing around how they all communicate’

Hamilton’s P8 at the Yas Marina Circuit all but summed up his season, a year of disappointing qualifying sessions followed by Sunday fightbacks, but never enough to ensure a champagne celebration.

That Sunday he finished P8, adding four points to his and Ferrari’s tally with the Briton sixth in the standings on 156 points, almost 80 down on his teammate Charles Leclerc in what was a winless season for Ferrari.

But while Leclerc could lean on his seven years with Ferrari, and almost two years with his race engineer Bryan Bozzi, for Hamilton this season was a huge change.

He not only said farewell to Mercedes, with whom he’d spent 12 years and won six World titles, he also said goodbye to Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington.

Hamilton’s long-time race engineer was reportedly blocked from following the Briton to Ferrari in a ‘non-poaching’ clause that brought one of the sport’s most iconic phrases to its end, there’d be no more ‘It’s Hammer Time’.

That, however, turned out to be the least of Hamilton’s troubles.

In a season in which he struggled to understand the Ferrari’s braking, engine management and handling, Hamilton finished down in sixth place without a single podium on the board. It was his first in 19 years without a topthree finish in a grand prix to his name.

But there’s more to it than just the driver, if you ask former F1 driver Karun Chandhok.

According to the former HRT and Lotus driver, Hamilton went from a “gold standard” relationship with his Mercedes race engineer, where they knew what the other was thinking, to a brand new one with Riccardo Adami, where they were building from the ground up and getting to know one another.

Speaking on The Fast and Curious podcast, the former F1 driver said: “I just think that is one of the points of the season. Rewind all the way back to Melbourne, and there were so many points of miscommunication.

“Don’t forget, Lewis has come off the back of an incredibly successful time with Bono and that relationship between driver and engineer is massively important.

“They can almost read your mind. As you’re coming down the pit lane, you’re both thinking the same thing…

“Up in the commentary box, we have a set-up where I can listen to all the radio of all of the drivers all the time.

“So, with the swearing and all of the rest of it, we have a live feed.”

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“Mercedes are the gold standard,” the former Hispania driver continued.

“Honestly, I believe in the way they communicate with the drivers. They’re concise, they’re precise, they give the drivers the right bits of information.

“And Lewis has gone from that to Ferrari, where there are cultural and language differences, and he’s not been able to make it work.

“You asked me the question about the engineer [Adami], I think there’s a wider thing around how they all communicate.

“But I do think, and maybe they are doing this, but if I were in Lewis’ position, I would go after every race and listen back to how George communicates with Marcus Dudley, for example.

“Just go and say, ‘This is how I’d like you to talk to me.’”

He continued: “I think it’s about knowing your personality.

“Like, ‘GP’ [Lambiase] and Max [Verstappen], for example, GP puts him in place pretty quickly. It’s not polite chat there, but that’s their relationship; they’re like brothers.

“Lewis has got to find his own equation, but I think there are things you can do to fast-track that.”

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