F1 Today | Ecclestone pummels Hamilton, Verstappen makes Super Bowl jibe
F1 News
In just five weeks, Formula 1 will return again for the season opener in Australia. Today, GPblog can still bring you news as anticipation and preparation for the 2025 season continue to ramp up. Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has slammed Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari move. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem once again defends himself as the FIA face criticism. Super Bowl LIX takes place tonight, and Max Verstappen has taken to his stream to talk about the event.
Ecclestone slams Hamilton's Ferrari chances
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'.
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. In an interview with The Telegraph, Ecclestone said: "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."
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." See his full rant here.
FIA President backs himself amid controversy
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has explained the FIA's decision to deploy more stewards and race directors from the 2025 F1 season onwards. The president also insists that it is better to come up with solutions instead of criticising the governing body.
Ben Sulayem said during the FIA Officials Summit in Madrid that there will be more than one race director in 2025. Who and how many, that will be clear at a later time. The FIA president emphasises that there are both financial and logistical challenges associated with the work of officials.
"Then the teams can complain, the drivers can complain, but then they don’t want to pay for it," says the 63-year-old Emirati. "This requires a lot of investment. It has taken us more than two and a half years to get where we are now. Do we have the results? We’ll know the results when the season starts." Click here to see why it's 'very important' to have a pool of race directors in 2025.
Verstappen's Super Bowl joke before the big event
The biggest event in American sports takes place tonight. Super Bowl LIX will be played between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans tonight. Speaking on one of his Team Redline live streams, Verstappen joked about the event. Click here to see what Verstappen said in full.
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