"Lewis Hamilton could have once again pulled off a masterful team swap!" - F1 pundit reacts to reports of Ferrari targeting key Red Bull talent

Amidst reports of Ferrari targeting several key Red Bull staff, prominent Formula 1 journalist Karun Chandhok believes that Lewis Hamilton could repeat his successful 2013 team swap while signing with Scuderia Ferrari.

While chaos ensues within the Red Bull Racing camp, Italian outfit Ferrari is reportedly keen on poaching some talent from the reigning champions. It was reported earlier that the team had contacted Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache.

According to recent a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Enrico Balbo, Head of Aerodynamics, David Morgan, Aero Trackside Performance Team Leader, Ben Waterhouse, Head of Performance Engineering, and Alessandro Germani, Aerodynamics Development Team Leader, are the technicians in the crosshairs of Ferrari.

Reacting to the rumors, Sky Sports F1 journalist and retired Indian driver Karun Chandhok posted on X (formerly Twitter), where he likened Hamilton's transfer to his similar move from McLaren to Mercedes over a decade ago. He wrote:

"Wow - La Gazetta are reporting that a whole bunch of senior Red Bull people could be on their way to Maranello soon."

"If it comes true, as was the case in 2013, Lewis could have once again pulled off a masterful team swap!"

After spending six seasons at McLaren, Hamilton made an iconic transfer to the Silver Arrows. What followed, needless to say, was legendary. However, it remains to be seen if a 39-year-old Lewis Hamilton could make similar waves with his move to Ferrari.

If the above reports are to be believed, the Prancing Horse enthusiasts could be in for a ride in the coming seasons. With Lewis Hamilton set to make a historic jump and join Ferrari, 2025 could be crucial for a potentially new-look Scuderia.

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Lewis Hamilton is "mentally at Ferrari," claims F1 pundit

While a move to Ferrari is set in stone for Hamilton, former driver and pundit David Coulthard believes that the seven-time World Champion already seems to be at the Italian outfit mentally.

While he promised the Mercedes fans a year of focus and commitment before departing from the team, Lewis Hamilton has faced troubles in the first two races of the season. With P7 and P9 finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively, the Briton has failed to find his stride, continuing his string of poor results from the 2023 campaign.

Speaking of his current form, prominent journalist David Coulthard recently stated (via PlanetF1):

"He’s just not been settled with this car. And you can tell, you know, George is just honing the lap time right now and you can feel that Lewis is on the backfoot."

"What we do know though, if he does find a window of performance, then you know he will deliver.

"But right now, it’s looking like his decision to head off to Ferrari, mentally, he is already there."

After two races, Lewis Hamilton has accumulated eight points, ranking 9th in the drivers' standings.