Sky Sports F1 pundit in public disagreement with champion

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F1 News & Gossip

Sky Sports pundit in public disagreement with F1 champion

The fallout from Qatar just keeps coming

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Wednesday 3 December 2025 10:54

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok had a spirited disagreement with former colleague Damon Hill on social media on Monday, over McLaren's strategy choices at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday.

The former HRT and Team Lotus driver had taken to Twitter to share screenshots of his Instagram story, on which he'd given his thoughts on McLaren's decision not to pit under an early safety car.

Lando Norris, he judged, would have been in some trouble whether the team pitted their cars or not. He also explained the team's apparent reasoning for the decision, right or (as it turned out) wrong.

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Hill, 1996 F1 world champion and former Sky pundit, responded snappily to start a brief back-and-forth – which Chandhok later insisted was 'banter' between two friends, misinterpreted as an argument.

Chandhok: I should've listened to Damon

"That's not the point Karun," Hill wrote, in response to Chandhok's original post. "The point is, do you want to be the person who makes the call? Very different from the comfy chair. Even if you were standing up in the paddock."

"My chair was quite comfy actually!" Chandhok wrote back. "But in reality, it is their job to make that call - like the other 9 teams…. Not mine.

"A bit like your team making the call to pit twice in Monaco 1995 when you were so dominant in Qualifying and ended up over 30 seconds behind."

A day later, having seen the reaction from other Twitter users, he sheepishly added: "err…. I often forget that banter between friends gets lost on social media. Damon told me that - should have listened more!"

F1 Damon Hill Karun Chandhok