Ecclestone warns Hamilton about Ferrari: 'Then he should go away'
F1 News
Bernie Ecclestone believes Lewis Hamilton won't have an easy time at Ferrari because he will face Charles Leclerc, whom the team "won't dump" for anyone. He also suggests Chairman John Elkann might have some doubts about whether the Italian team made the right choice in signing the seven-time World Champion.
Hamilton, who will turn 40 during the winter break, is set to move to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season. The deal was announced before a wheel was even turned in 2024. Despite ending his winless streak, Hamilton has had a difficult season. He has now dropped to P7 in the World Championship behind his current teammate Charles Leclerc. He has often failed to reach Q3.
Why Hamilton will find it difficult at Ferrari
In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Ecclestone expressed his thoughts about Hamilton. The former F1 owner, who has recently celebrated his 94th birthday, doesn't think Hamilton will win a record-breaking 8th World title. "I don't think it will be easy for Lewis. Especially in that team. They will back Charles Leclerc. He's quick and has grown up there. They won't dump him for anyone," Ecclestone said.
Ecclestone insists Hamilton has made the right decision to turn his back on Mercedes, who he has raced for since 2013. Since the 2022 rules and regulations were introduced, Mercedes has missed the mark and been behind Red Bull, Ferrari and now customer team McLaren. Ecclestone expects Ferrari to be second guessing the decision they have made to sign Hamilton.
"For John Elkann, it was a big ego thing. He thought he had captured the best guy the world had ever seen. When he signed him there was nothing to indicate he was wrong in that assessment. Whether he is still happy with that is another story. Only time will tell. If Lewis is fading, which I don't like to see, he should go away and do something else, and do a good job at it," Ecclestone concluded.
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