Ecclestone delivers scathing verdict on Hamilton: 'Not as talented as people say'
F1 News
Bernie Ecclestone does not believe the move to Ferrari will be a success for Lewis Hamilton, with the former F1 owner thinking the seven-time world champion "won't last that long." Ecclestone also declares he is not a fan of the way Hamilton 'puts himself out there'.
Ecclestone: 'Hamilton won't last two years at Ferrari'
"I don't think Lewis will get the same attention at Ferrari," Ecclestone began, speaking to The Telegraph about Hamilton's team switch. "Firstly, the team are happy with Charles Leclerc, his team-mate. Leclerc speaks their language, so they’ll be looking after him. Even if Lewis does well, there’ll still be a lot of enemies, because he has suddenly arrived."
The 94-year-old Briton does not think age, with Hamilton being 40 and Leclerc just 27, necessarily plays a role: "I have my theory about this. It’s not the age with drivers, it’s how long they have been doing the same thing. I have thought with Lewis, ‘He’s getting tired. He has lost motivation.’ If he had never won a world championship, it might be different, because then there would be an incentive to win one. But he has won seven."
Ferrari made the move for Hamilton to bring him in at the Scuderia for at least two seasons, but Ecclestone does not expect the former Mercedes driver to serve out his contract: "He won't last that long," he predicts. "Piero Ferrari, who has taken him there, still thinks they’ve done the right thing. I hope they have. I hope they haven’t just jumped in and end up wishing they hadn’t."
Ecclestone is "not a fan" of Hamilton's publicity
As a former Formula One Group owner, Ecclestone understands Hamilton's commercial value like no other. However, he is not a fan of the way the driver puts himself out there, arguing that "Lewis gets himself up front in a way where you can dislike him.
"How a guy who has won a few world titles and has a few dollars in the bank can dress the way he dresses… I’m not a fan of that. He has a lot of talent as a driver. As much as people credit him with? No, but still enough to win races. I don’t know why he does all this other nonsense. He needs to get out of the music business and whatever else," Ecclestone judges.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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